Results of a colorectal cancer screening program in Brazil

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Brazilian women and the third among Brazilian men and it has been increasing every year. Due to the great variation on the incidence of colorectal cancer between the southern and the northern parts of Brazil, with the southern states presenting a very much higher incidence of colorectal cancer than their northern counterparts, the national health authorities from Brazil have considered to be unbalanced and unnecessary to implement a national colorectal cancer screening program in the country.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (MEIT) developed a new Japanese organization called Medical Excellence Japan (MEJ) aiming the international expansion of international Japanese medical services and technologies.
At the end of 2013 the MEJ together with the Tokyo Medical Dental University (TMDU) and Fujifilm Co. (Japan) jointly helped to create and develop a novel colorectal cancer screening program in Brazil and other South American countries.

The first strategy is to offer the qualitative fecal immune test OC-light test provided by Eiken Co. (Japan) to Brazilian patients living in the southern part of the country and who were also covered by the private medical sector.
At this conference, I intend to present the results of a total of 1000 asymptomatic Brazilian patients, 50 years older or more that were offered the FIT test as an option for colorectal cancer prevention. Positive FIT tests cases being all referred for colonoscopy.

As from April 2014, we have tested 225 patients with 15 being tested positive (6.6%). On colonoscopy 5 patients were diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer and 2 patients were diagnosed with significant polypoid neoplastic lesions.
On October 2014 during the Japanese society for screening of digestive cancers, the complete results of this first national colorectal cancer screening program in Brazil will be presented, as well as the opportunities and difficulties that were observed in Brazil in comparison to those seen in Japan.