Risk prediction models for colorectal cancer incorporating common genetic variants: a systematic review

Effective screening for colorectal cancer reduces incidence of the disease and associated mortality. Incorporating risk models based on genetic variables could help to increase the efficiency of colorectal cancer screening by reducing complication rates and demand on services while still ensuring those at greatest risk are effectively screened. This systematic review aimed to identify risk prediction models for colorectal cancer that incorporate genetic information and have the potential to be used for risk stratification.  It also aimed to assess the performance of these models and estimate the potential public health impact of risk-stratified screening for populations. The review identified 23 new models and found that the addition of genetic information to other risk factors increases discrimination ability. It suggests that further validation and calibration studies are needed to assess the population-level impact of introducing genetic risk-based screening programmes.

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Information on PC4 research examining the feasibility of assessing colorectal cancer risk using genetic information can be found here.