PTU-266 Does participation in bowel cancer screening programme (BCSP) affect emergency admission in patients with bowel cancer?

Abstract

Introduction The aim of the BCSP is the detection of early colorectal cancer in order to improve overall prognosis. In this study, we looked at the impact of participation in the BCSP on emergency admissions related to colorectal cancer (CRC). Method A retrospective analysis of all patients presenting with a confirmed diagnosis of CRC and were eligible for Faecal Occult Blood testing (FOBt) between 2009 and 2014 at Hillingdon Hospital was carried out (n = 174). The response to FOBt was obtained from the national screening hub. The mode of admission was determined by accessing discharge summaries, the MDT database and the patient assessment service. A responder was defined as a patient who sent a FOBt sample back at any point, and a non-responder as any patient who failed to send back a sample. Results Of the 174 patients, we had 64 (37%) responders and 110 (63%) non-responders. 24 patients presented as emergencies, of which 75% (n = 18) were non-responders, in comparison to 25% (n = 6) responders. 32 patients had incurable disease, of which 23 (72%) were non-responders in comparison to 9 (28%) responders. Conclusion Patients who did not participate in the BCSP had a threefold increase in risk of presenting with a colorectal cancer related emergency, and they were also two and half times more likely to have incurable disease. Although our numbers are small the difference between the responders and non-responders is evident. Disclosure of interest None Declared.