{"id":4058,"date":"2026-10-16T19:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2026-10-16T19:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T19:49:12","slug":"sex-specific-fit-thresholds-could-equalize-crc-detection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drsoniafawad.com\/?p=4058","title":{"rendered":"Sex-specific FIT thresholds could equalize CRC detection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-component=\"ArticleContent\">\n<div class=\"article__below-title\">\n<div class=\" article__posted-date\">\n<p>October 16, 2026<\/p>\n<p>2 min read<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mobile-trust-box\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-5 d-xl-none\">\n<div class=\"trust-box\">\n<div class=\"trust-box-logo d-none d-md-block\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/h5\/feature\/news\/publogos\/hgld\/healio_gastro.svg?la=en&amp;h=40&amp;w=152&amp;hash=2C654A538F2E250F5183D42A89FE0EC0\" class=\"logo-img\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Healio Logo - Gastroenterology\" width=\"152\"\/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 offset-md-1 offset-xl-0 col-xl-12\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-button-wrapper d-none\" data-component=\"EmailTopicAlert\" data-module=\"Subspecialty Email Topic Alerts Top\" data-manage-email-link=\"\/footer\/account-information\/my-account\/email-subscriptions-and-alerts#emailAlerts\">\n  <hidden data-setting-item=\"d265901d-6d37-49c7-a8f6-c7bf19a02509\"\/><br \/>\n  <hidden data-crm-source=\"Subspecialty Topic Alert\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button d-none\" data-topic-button=\"not-subscribed\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n      <span data-module-track-action=\"Email Alerts TOP_Click_Healio News Article\" data-module-track-label=\"Email Alerts TOP_Healio News Article\">&#13;<br \/>\n        <i class=\"fas fa-plus-circle\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n        Add topic to email alerts&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/span>&#13;\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-inner collapse uad5b34a2266a46bdb557551763a8a53b\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-dialogue\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n          Receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>&#13;\n        <\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-sign-up-type=\"unknown\">\n          Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <button type=\"button\" class=\"btn btn-primary\" data-loading-text=\"Loading &lt;i class=\" fa=\"\" fa-spinner=\"\" fa-spin=\"\">&#8220;&#13;<br \/>\n              data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13;<br \/>\n        Subscribe&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-topic-modal=\"failed\">    <strong>We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20261016\/mailto:customerservice@slackinc.com\">customerservice@slackinc.com<\/a>.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n<p><button data-dismiss=\"modal\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block\">Back to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Key takeaways:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Men with CRC or advanced precancerous lesions had higher fecal hemoglobin levels than women.<\/li>\n<li>The FIT threshold for women would need to be lowered to match CRC sensitivity in men. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn \u2014 Fecal immunochemical tests appear more sensitive to colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous lesions in men than women, according to a retrospective study presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFIT is the most commonly used <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20260824\/fitbased-screening-program-linked-to-50-drop-in-colorectal-cancer-mortality\" id=\"rId8\" target=\"_blank\">colorectal cancer screening test<\/a> in the world, with an average sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 94%,\u201d <b>Thomas F. Imperiale, MD,<\/b> Lawrence Lumeng Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine, told attendees. \u201cIts test characteristics vary based on threshold and the brand, but whether performance varies by sex is less clear.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"figure article__og-image\">&#13;\n    <picture>&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.webp?w=476\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.webp?w=800\" media=\"(max-width: 992px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.webp?w=595\" media=\"(max-width: 1200px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.webp?w=476\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\">&#13;<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.comhttps:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.webp?w=476\">&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/slack-news\/gastroenterology\/misc\/infographics\/2026\/1026\/hgi1026imperiale_acg.jpg?w=800\" alt=\"Thomas F. Imperiale, MD podium shot\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid\" width=\"800\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>&#13;<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">&#13;<br \/>\n      Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, speaks at the podium during ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.\u00a0<em>Photo: Octavia Feliciano.<\/em><\/figcaption>&#13;<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe know the prevalence and distribution of colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous lesions differ between males and females, but do these differences warrant different FIT thresholds?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>Imperiale and colleagues analyzed cross-sectional data from DeeP-C and BLUE-C, two validation studies for original and next-generation <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20261012\/mailed-fit-outreach-boosts-crc-screening-among-underserved-adults-in-new-york-city\" id=\"rId9\" target=\"_blank\">multitarget stool DNA tests<\/a>. Both studies used the same independent, quantitative comparator FIT, which had a threshold of 100 ng\/mL, or approximately 20 \u00b5g\/g of feces.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers compared fecal hemoglobin levels between men and women, as well as sex-specific FIT sensitivity and specificity for CRC and advanced precancerous lesions at the recommended threshold. They also identified sex-specific sensitivity thresholds at 95% specificity.<\/p>\n<p>Final analysis included 30,165 individuals (mean age, 63.4 years; 46.6% men), of whom 163 had CRC and 2,901 had advanced precancerous lesions. <\/p>\n<p>According to results, men had significantly higher fecal hemoglobin levels compared with women for CRC (1,541 ng\/mL vs. 955 ng\/mL, <i>P<\/i> = .03), as well as for advanced precancerous lesions (230 ng\/mL vs. 174 ng\/mL, <i>P<\/i> &lt; .001).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConsistent with previous studies, for colorectal cancers and [advanced precancerous lesions], males have higher fecal hemoglobin levels than females,\u201d Imperiale said.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, FIT sensitivity was significantly higher among men than women for CRC (77.4% vs. 62%, <i>P<\/i> = .03) and advanced precancerous lesions (25.8% vs. 20.2%, <i>P <\/i>&lt; .001).<\/p>\n<p>Attaining specificity of 95% for CRC required thresholds of 120 ng\/mL and 94 ng\/mL for men and women, respectively. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo equal the cancer sensitivity in males, the threshold in females would have to be lowered,\u201d Imperiale said. <\/p>\n<p>Analysis also showed that distal CRC and advanced precancerous lesions were more common in men than women. However, the researchers observed no difference in CRC and advanced precancerous lesion size distribution by sex.<\/p>\n<p>Imperiale and colleagues identified factors independently linked to FIT sensitivity for advanced neoplasia, including histology and size of the lesion, male sex (OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.47), being a current or former smoker (OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.14-1.63), BMI of at least 30 kg\/m<sup>2<\/sup> (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.17-1.67) and distal or rectal lesion location (OR = 2.41; 95% CI, 2.01-2.89). <\/p>\n<p>The researchers acknowledged study limitations, including use of one FIT brand and a single threshold and application of FIT. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the goal were to equal cancer sensitivity detection [in men], then the threshold should be different [for women],\u201d Imperiale said. \u201cExactly what the threshold should be would depend on which test is used, because there is going to be variation.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__content--footer\">\n<div class=\"publisher-logo\">\n    <span>Published by:<\/span><br \/>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/h5\/feature\/news\/publogos\/hgld\/healio_gastro.svg?la=en&amp;h=40&amp;w=152&amp;hash=2C654A538F2E250F5183D42A89FE0EC0\" class=\"logo-img\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Healio Logo - Gastroenterology\" width=\"152\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"sources-references-disclosures\">\n<h3>Sources\/Disclosures<\/h3>\n<h2> Source: <\/h2>\n<p class=\"citation\">Imperiale TF, et al. Performance characteristics of fecal immunochemical tests in males and female: Should the threshold vary? Presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting; Oct 12-14; Nashville, Tenn. (hybrid meeting).<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclosures\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n        <strong> Disclosures: <\/strong>&#13;<br \/>\n        Imperiale reports a consulting role with Cook Medical and research support from Exact Sciences. Please see the study for all other authors\u2019 relevant financial disclosures.&#13;\n      <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Healio AI Widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"healio-ai-component-inline\" data-no-ads=\"true\" data-module-track-category=\"Healio AI\" data-module-track-action=\"Click\" data-module-track-label=\"Access Healio Ai from component - News_AI Component - In-Content (all devices)\">\n<div class=\"healio-ai-content\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/m3.healio.com\/~\/media\/images\/healio-ai\/healio-ai_logo.svg\" alt=\"Healio AI\" class=\"healio-ai-logo\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ask a clinical question<\/strong> and tap into <strong>Healio AI&#8217;s knowledge<\/strong> base.<\/p>\n<ul>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>PubMed, enrolling\/recruiting trials, guidelines<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news<\/li>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<li>Healio&#8217;s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data<\/li>\n<p>&#13;\n    <\/ul>\n<p>    <button class=\"healio-ai-button\" onclick=\"window.location.href=\" https:=\"\">Learn more<\/button>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button-wrapper d-none\" data-component=\"EmailTopicAlert\" data-module=\"Subspecialty Email Topic Alerts Top\" data-manage-email-link=\"\/footer\/account-information\/my-account\/email-subscriptions-and-alerts#emailAlerts\">\n  <hidden data-setting-item=\"d265901d-6d37-49c7-a8f6-c7bf19a02509\"\/><br \/>\n  <hidden data-crm-source=\"Subspecialty Topic Alert\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-button d-none\" data-topic-button=\"not-subscribed\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n      <span data-module-track-action=\"Email Alerts TOP_Click_Healio News Article\" data-module-track-label=\"Email Alerts TOP_Healio News Article\">&#13;<br \/>\n        <i class=\"fas fa-plus-circle\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\n        Add topic to email alerts&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/span>&#13;\n    <\/p>\n<div class=\"email-alert-inner collapse uad5b34a2266a46bdb557551763a8a53b\">\n<div class=\"email-alert-dialogue\">\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n          Receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>&#13;\n        <\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-sign-up-type=\"unknown\">\n          Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on <span data-content=\"topic-title\"\/>.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <button type=\"button\" class=\"btn btn-primary\" data-loading-text=\"Loading &lt;i class=\" fa=\"\" fa-spinner=\"\" fa-spin=\"\">&#8220;&#13;<br \/>\n              data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13;<br \/>\n        Subscribe&#13;<br \/>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-none\" data-topic-modal=\"failed\">    <strong>We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20261016\/mailto:customerservice@slackinc.com\">customerservice@slackinc.com<\/a>.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n<p><button data-dismiss=\"modal\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg btn-block\">Back to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/news\/gastroenterology\/20261016\/equal-colorectal-cancer-detection-may-require-different-fit-thresholds-for-men-women\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 16, 2026 2 min read &#13; &#13; &#13; Add topic to email alerts&#13; &#13; &#13; Receive an email when new articles are posted on &#13; Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . &#8220;&#13; data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13; Subscribe&#13; We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Back to Healio Key takeaways: Men with CRC or advanced precancerous lesions had higher fecal hemoglobin levels than women. The FIT threshold for women would need to be lowered to match CRC sensitivity in men. NASHVILLE, Tenn \u2014 Fecal immunochemical tests appear more sensitive to colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous lesions in men than women, according to a retrospective study presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. \u201cFIT is the most commonly used colorectal cancer screening test in the world, with an average sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 94%,\u201d Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, Lawrence Lumeng Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine, told attendees. \u201cIts test characteristics vary based on threshold and the brand, but whether performance varies by sex is less clear. &#13; &#13;&#13;&#13;&#13;&#13;&#13; &#13; &#13; &#13;&#13; Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, speaks at the podium during ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.\u00a0Photo: Octavia Feliciano.&#13; \u201cWe know the prevalence and distribution of colorectal cancer and advanced precancerous lesions differ between males and females, but do these differences warrant different FIT thresholds?\u201d he asked. Imperiale and colleagues analyzed cross-sectional data from DeeP-C and BLUE-C, two validation studies for original and next-generation multitarget stool DNA tests. Both studies used the same independent, quantitative comparator FIT, which had a threshold of 100 ng\/mL, or approximately 20 \u00b5g\/g of feces. The researchers compared fecal hemoglobin levels between men and women, as well as sex-specific FIT sensitivity and specificity for CRC and advanced precancerous lesions at the recommended threshold. They also identified sex-specific sensitivity thresholds at 95% specificity. Final analysis included 30,165 individuals (mean age, 63.4 years; 46.6% men), of whom 163 had CRC and 2,901 had advanced precancerous lesions. According to results, men had significantly higher fecal hemoglobin levels compared with women for CRC (1,541 ng\/mL vs. 955 ng\/mL, P = .03), as well as for advanced precancerous lesions (230 ng\/mL vs. 174 ng\/mL, P &lt; .001). \u201cConsistent with previous studies, for colorectal cancers and [advanced precancerous lesions], males have higher fecal hemoglobin levels than females,\u201d Imperiale said. Additionally, FIT sensitivity was significantly higher among men than women for CRC (77.4% vs. 62%, P = .03) and advanced precancerous lesions (25.8% vs. 20.2%, P &lt; .001). Attaining specificity of 95% for CRC required thresholds of 120 ng\/mL and 94 ng\/mL for men and women, respectively. \u201cTo equal the cancer sensitivity in males, the threshold in females would have to be lowered,\u201d Imperiale said. Analysis also showed that distal CRC and advanced precancerous lesions were more common in men than women. However, the researchers observed no difference in CRC and advanced precancerous lesion size distribution by sex. Imperiale and colleagues identified factors independently linked to FIT sensitivity for advanced neoplasia, including histology and size of the lesion, male sex (OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.47), being a current or former smoker (OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.14-1.63), BMI of at least 30 kg\/m2 (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.17-1.67) and distal or rectal lesion location (OR = 2.41; 95% CI, 2.01-2.89). The researchers acknowledged study limitations, including use of one FIT brand and a single threshold and application of FIT. \u201cIf the goal were to equal cancer sensitivity detection [in men], then the threshold should be different [for women],\u201d Imperiale said. \u201cExactly what the threshold should be would depend on which test is used, because there is going to be variation.\u201d Published by: Sources\/Disclosures Source: Imperiale TF, et al. Performance characteristics of fecal immunochemical tests in males and female: Should the threshold vary? Presented at ACG Annual Scientific Meeting; Oct 12-14; Nashville, Tenn. (hybrid meeting). &#13; Disclosures: &#13; Imperiale reports a consulting role with Cook Medical and research support from Exact Sciences. Please see the study for all other authors\u2019 relevant financial disclosures.&#13; Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI&#8217;s knowledge base. &#13; PubMed, enrolling\/recruiting trials, guidelines &#13; Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news &#13; Healio&#8217;s exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data &#13; Learn more &#13; &#13; &#13; Add topic to email alerts&#13; &#13; &#13; Receive an email when new articles are posted on &#13; Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . &#8220;&#13; data-action=&#8221;subscribe&#8221;&gt;&#13; Subscribe&#13; We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. 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