Effectiveness of multitarget stool DNA versus faecal immunochemical testing alone in detecting colorectal cancer and advanced polyps: A systematic review.
Cancer EpidemiolAug 14, 2026 (epub)
Clinical ResearchGastroenterology
Jerrald Lau, Jolin Lim, Megan Lee et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) compared to faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced polyps. Analyzing six studies, mt-sDNA showed superior sensitivity for CRC (100.0% vs 43.0%) and advanced adenomas (53.3% vs 27.2%), but lower specificity (92.0% vs 86.6%).
Key findings
- mt-sDNA had a sensitivity of 100.0% for CRC compared to 43.0% for FIT.
- For advanced adenomas, mt-sDNA sensitivity was 53.3% versus 27.2% for FIT.
- mt-sDNA demonstrated lower specificity at 92.0% compared to 86.6% for FIT.
- mt-sDNA outperformed FIT in positive and negative predictive value metrics.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that while mt-sDNA may enhance CRC detection rates, its lower specificity could lead to increased false positives, impacting patient management and healthcare resources. Understanding these trade-offs is crucial for effective screening strategies.