Timing and Risk Factors for a Positive Fecal Immunochemical Test in Subsequent Screening for Colorectal Neoplasms

Background Following a negative test, the performance of fecal immunochemical testing in the subsequent screening round is rarely reported. It is crucial to allocate resources to participants who are more likely to test positive subsequently following an initial negative result. Objective To identify risk factors associated with a positive result in subsequent screening. Methods Dataset was composed of consecutive participants who voluntarily underwent fecal tests and colonoscopy in a routine medical examination at the National Taiwan University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2011. Risk factor assessment of positive fecal test in subsequent screening was performed by using the Cox proportional hazards models. Results Our cohort consisted of 3783 participants during a 5-year period. In three rounds of subsequent testing, 3783, 1537, and 624 participants underwent fecal tests, respectively; 5.7%, 5.1%, and 3.9% tested positive, respectively, and the positive predictive values were 40.2%, 20.3%, and 20.8%, respectively. Age ≥60 years (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.21–1.93) and male gender (1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.69) were risk factors; however, an interaction between age and gender was noted. Men had higher risk than women when they were