| [ Summary ] |
Colon cancer mortality in both males and females has been increasing gradually in Japan since the Second World War. On the other hand, rates of rectal cancer in males show a only a slightly increased tendency and those for females are unchanged. Colorectal cancer is the number four cause of death in males and the second for females in relation to cancer-related deaths.
The Japanese first report on rectal cancer screening was a paper presented by Miura et al. from Hirosaki University in 1961. In the 1980's, immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (iFOBT), which react to human hemoglobin only, were studied and established. Three randomized controlled trials carried out in western countries revealed a reduction in CRC mortality through chemical FOBT screening. In Japan, iFOBT screenings were suggested to be effective for the reduction of CRC mortality by case-control studies. At present, two 2 consecutive days iFOBT for screening and total colonoscopy for diagnostic evaluation are recommended as the standard strategy. |