COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME IN A RURAL AREA HEALTH CENTER.

Introduction and objectives: Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in the Europe. It has a high incidence In Portugal, and it has been progressing in recent years. Many studies have illustrated the benefits of screening. Colonoscopy is the method of choice examination for both colon and rectum. This study intends to evaluate the success rate of the screening programme through its organization, implementation and acceptability. Methods: We performed an observational and retrospective study in the Unidade de Cuidados de Saúde Personalizados in Penacova, Coimbra, Portugal. Participants were in the 50 to 75 age bracket, registered between the 1st December 2014 and 31st December 2015, and included all of the patients in one doctor’s file with 1550 users. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS 23. Results and conclusions: It included 472 participants, 53, 4% female and 46, 6% male. The colonoscopy was requested to 78, 8% of the eligible patients, of which, 80, 7% were examined. The adenoma/polyp was the most frequent finding. (4, 8%) Carcinomas were detected in 0, 2%. High rates of request and compliance with the colonoscopy were found. A significant number of adenomas/polyps were detected. The removal of these precursor lesions allowed preventing many cancers and reducing mortality rates. These performance indicators also allowed measuring the screening programme quality and its potential long term impact.