Massive screening for colorectal cancer. A single institution's public commitment.

Data from three massive screening programs for the detection of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps were reproducible through the collaboration of several departments at Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, NY. The majority of carcinomas detected had demonstrated no lymph node metastases. The percentage of screenees with positive stool occult blood tests discovered to have colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps was 19%, 24%, and 21% in 1982, 1984, and 1987, respectively. The cost-effectiveness of this large-scale screening effort by centers such as Roswell Park Memorial Institute has been demonstrated in accordance with high public acceptance and the high incidence of colorectal cancer.