Clinical trial · Observational
Secondary Care Colorectal Cancer Pathway Review
A Retrospective Review of the Secondary-care Colorectal Cancer Pathway Within NHS Lothian: An Evaluation of 3 Years of Pathway Performance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Bowel cancer (colorectal cancer) is the 4th most common cancer in Scotland. Approximately 4,000 cases are diagnosed annually. Cancer-related deaths in Scotland are higher than other UK nations. Improving the early detection of bowel cancer, and therefore survival, is important. The majority of bowel cancers are diagnosed within secondary-care (colorectal surgery unit). Upon GP referral to secondary-care, patients provide stool samples which are analysed for microscopic blood (FIT; faecal immunohistochemical test). Patients with a single positive result are more likely to have bowel cancer (0.2% risk if no blood detected, but 8.4% if detected). A positive test triggers further investigation, either CT scan or colonoscopy depending on the result. Currently, colonoscopy and radiology services throughout Scotland are under significant pressure causing delays. Only 2% of patients referred to secondary-care are diagnosed with bowel cancer, and most colonoscopies performed do not yield significant findings. We have shown that performing two repeated FITs upon referral improves cancer pickup rate (sensitivity) and reduces missed cancers. We successfully implemented this in NHS Lothian and contributed to national guidelines. This study will undertake a comprehensive retrospective review of the double-FIT urgent suspicion of bowel cancer pathway within NHS Lothian, from April 2022 (date of pathway inception) to August 2025, including around 25,000 patients that have been managed through the pathway. We will calculate key performance indicators and diagnostic accuracy of the pathway. Health economic analysis will determine cost-per-diagnosis. Risk factors for bowel cancer in this patient cohort will be identified to develop a support tool for primary and secondary-care. These results will be used to develop a future pathway to optimise pathway efficiency and cancer detection.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis) | Malignant Colorectal Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faecal Immunohistochemical test | Diagnostic Test | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (3)
- label
- FIT non-returners
- description
- Referred patients who did not return FIT
- label
- Single FIT returners
- description
- Referred patients who returned a single FIT
- interventionNames
- Diagnostic Test: Faecal Immunohistochemical test
- label
- Double FIT returners
- description
- Referred patients who returned two FITs
- interventionNames
- Diagnostic Test: Faecal Immunohistochemical test
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Pathway diagnostic accuracy
- timeFrame
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: Patients managed within the NHS Lothian CRC USoC/urgent pathway (including urgent referrals) due to 'red-flag' symptoms concerning of CRC from April 2022 to August 2025. Exclusion Criteria: * Under the age of 18. * History of inflammatory bowel disease. * Under polyp surveillance. * Previous diagnosis of CRC.
References
Publications (9)
- BACKGROUNDPerkmann T, Koller T, Perkmann-Nagele N, Ozsvar-Kozma M, Eyre D, Matthews P, Bown A, Stoesser N, Breyer MK, Breyer-Kohansal R, Burghuber OC, Hartl S, Aletaha D, Sieghart D, Quehenberger P, Marculescu R, Mucher P, Radakovics A, Klausberger M, Duerkop M, Holzer B, Hartmann B, Strassl R, Leitner G, Grebien F, Gerner W, Grabherr R, Wagner OF, Binder CJ, Haslacher H. Increasing test specificity without impairing sensitivity: lessons learned from SARS-CoV-2 serology. J Clin Pathol. 2023 Nov;76(11):770-777. doi: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208171. Epub 2022 Aug 30. PMID 36041815
- BACKGROUNDCubiella J, Vega P, Salve M, Diaz-Ondina M, Alves MT, Quintero E, Alvarez-Sanchez V, Fernandez-Banares F, Boadas J, Campo R, Bujanda L, Clofent J, Ferrandez A, Torrealba L, Pinol V, Rodriguez-Alcalde D, Hernandez V, Fernandez-Seara J; COLONPREDICT study investigators. Development and external validation of a faecal immunochemical test-based prediction model for colorectal cancer detection in symptomatic patients. BMC Med. 2016 Aug 31;14(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0668-5. PMID 27580745
- BACKGROUNDGerrard AD, Maeda Y, Miller J, Gunn F, Theodoratou E, Noble C, Porteous L, Glancy S, MacLean P, Pattenden R, Dunlop MG, Din FVN; Edinburgh Colorectal Group. Double faecal immunochemical testing in patients with symptoms suspicious of colorectal cancer. Br J Surg. 2023 Mar 30;110(4):471-480. doi: 10.1093/bjs/znad016. PMID 36785496
- BACKGROUNDSaw KS, Liu C, Xu W, Varghese C, Parry S, Bissett I. Faecal immunochemical test to triage patients with possible colorectal cancer symptoms: meta-analysis. Br J Surg. 2022 Feb 1;109(2):182-190. doi: 10.1093/bjs/znab411. PMID 34907419
- BACKGROUNDPin-Vieito N, Tejido-Sandoval C, de Vicente-Bielza N, Sanchez-Gomez C, Cubiella J. Faecal immunochemical tests safely enhance rational use of resources during the assessment of suspected symptomatic colorectal cancer in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis. Gut. 2022 May;71(5):950-960. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324856. Epub 2021 Jun 9. PMID 34108236