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A 9-year follow-up study of participants and nonparticipants in sigmoidoscopy screening: Importance of self-selection

Blom, Johannes ; Yin, Li ; Liden, Annika ; Dolk, Anders ; Jeppsson, Bengt LU ; Pahlman, Lars ; Holmberg, Lars and Nyren, Olof (2008) In Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 17(5). p.1163-1168
Abstract
Background: Self-selection may compromise cost-effectiveness of screening programs. We hypothesized that nonparticipants have generally higher morbidity and mortality than participants. Methods: A Swedish population-based random sample of 1,986 subjects ages 59 to 61 years was invited to sigmoidoscopy screening and followed up for 9 years by means of multiple record linkages to health and population registers. Gender-adjusted cancer incidence rate ratio (IRR) and overall and disease group-specific and mortality rate ratio (MRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CD were estimated for nonparticipants relative to participants. Cancer and mortality rates were also estimated relative to the age-matched, gender-matched, and calendar... (More)
Background: Self-selection may compromise cost-effectiveness of screening programs. We hypothesized that nonparticipants have generally higher morbidity and mortality than participants. Methods: A Swedish population-based random sample of 1,986 subjects ages 59 to 61 years was invited to sigmoidoscopy screening and followed up for 9 years by means of multiple record linkages to health and population registers. Gender-adjusted cancer incidence rate ratio (IRR) and overall and disease group-specific and mortality rate ratio (MRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CD were estimated for nonparticipants relative to participants. Cancer and mortality rates were also estimated relative to the age-matched, gender-matched, and calendar period-matched Swedish population using standardized incidence ratios and standardized mortality ratios. Results: Thirty-nine percent participated. The incidence of colorectal cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), other gastrointestinal cancer (IRR, 2.7; 95% CI, 0.6-12.8), lung cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), and smoking-related cancer overall (IRR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.7-2.5) tended to be increased among nonparticipants relative to participants. Standardized incidence ratios for most of the studied cancers tended to be >1.0 among nonparticipants and <1.0 among participants. Mortality from all causes (MRR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.7-3.4), neoplastic diseases (MRR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5), gastrointestinal cancer (MRR, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.120.7), and circulatory diseases (MRR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.2) was significantly higher among nonparticipants than among participants. Standardized mortality ratio for the studied outcomes tended to be increased among nonparticipants and was generally decreased among participants. Conclusion: Individuals who might benefit most from screening are overrepresented among nonparticipants. This self-selection may attenuate the cost-effectiveness of screening programs on a population level. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention
volume
17
issue
5
pages
1163 - 1168
publisher
American Association for Cancer Research
external identifiers
  • wos:000256012800021
  • scopus:52649100581
  • pmid:18483338
ISSN
1538-7755
DOI
10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-2764
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
29b3c48c-b883-4a2e-8334-9fceb81c6402 (old id 1203453)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:33:24
date last changed
2022-03-21 19:13:56
@article{29b3c48c-b883-4a2e-8334-9fceb81c6402,
  abstract     = {{Background: Self-selection may compromise cost-effectiveness of screening programs. We hypothesized that nonparticipants have generally higher morbidity and mortality than participants. Methods: A Swedish population-based random sample of 1,986 subjects ages 59 to 61 years was invited to sigmoidoscopy screening and followed up for 9 years by means of multiple record linkages to health and population registers. Gender-adjusted cancer incidence rate ratio (IRR) and overall and disease group-specific and mortality rate ratio (MRR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CD were estimated for nonparticipants relative to participants. Cancer and mortality rates were also estimated relative to the age-matched, gender-matched, and calendar period-matched Swedish population using standardized incidence ratios and standardized mortality ratios. Results: Thirty-nine percent participated. The incidence of colorectal cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), other gastrointestinal cancer (IRR, 2.7; 95% CI, 0.6-12.8), lung cancer (IRR, 2.2; 95% CI, 0.8-5.9), and smoking-related cancer overall (IRR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.7-2.5) tended to be increased among nonparticipants relative to participants. Standardized incidence ratios for most of the studied cancers tended to be &gt;1.0 among nonparticipants and &lt;1.0 among participants. Mortality from all causes (MRR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.7-3.4), neoplastic diseases (MRR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5), gastrointestinal cancer (MRR, 4.7; 95% CI, 1.120.7), and circulatory diseases (MRR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.2) was significantly higher among nonparticipants than among participants. Standardized mortality ratio for the studied outcomes tended to be increased among nonparticipants and was generally decreased among participants. Conclusion: Individuals who might benefit most from screening are overrepresented among nonparticipants. This self-selection may attenuate the cost-effectiveness of screening programs on a population level.}},
  author       = {{Blom, Johannes and Yin, Li and Liden, Annika and Dolk, Anders and Jeppsson, Bengt and Pahlman, Lars and Holmberg, Lars and Nyren, Olof}},
  issn         = {{1538-7755}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1163--1168}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for Cancer Research}},
  series       = {{Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention}},
  title        = {{A 9-year follow-up study of participants and nonparticipants in sigmoidoscopy screening: Importance of self-selection}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-2764}},
  doi          = {{10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-07-2764}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}