The impact of the laboratory quality management program on colorectal cancer screening using immunochemical fecal occult blood tests in Korea
- Author:
Hye Ryun LEE
1
;
Sollip KIM
;
Hyeongsu KIM
;
Yeo-Min YUN
;
Ho Jin JEONG
;
Minje HAN
;
Myeong Hee KIM
;
Tae-Hyun UM
;
You Kyoung LEE
;
Byung Ryul JEON
;
Kunsei LEE
;
Sail CHUN
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2025;68(5):338-347
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Purpose:Immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (iFOBT) have been utilized as the primary method for colorectal cancer screening within Korea's National Cancer Screening Program. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the accreditation program for clinical laboratories and external quality assessment (EQA) programs on colorectal cancer screening.
Methods:We analyzed the false-positive rates of iFOBT in colorectal cancer screening from 2016 to 2020 according to participation and performance in the Outstanding Laboratory Accreditation Program (OLAP) conducted by the Laboratory Medicine Foundation, and the External Quality Assessment programs run by the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service.
Results:False-positive rates of iFOBT were lower among institutions accredited by OLAP (2.35%) compared with non-accredited (3.04%) and non-participating institutions (5.60%). Similarly, institutions participating in the EQA program exhibited lower false-positive rates (3.79%) compared to non-participants (7.04%). Within the iFOBT-specific EQA program, institutions that passed demonstrated the lowest false-positive rate (3.37%), while failing institutions showed the highest rate (9.07%), surpassing even non-participating institutions (6.44%).
Conclusion:Participation in quality management programs such as OLAP and EQA was associated with lower false-positive rates in iFOBT for colorectal cancer screening. These findings suggest that quality management initiatives can increase the accuracy of iFOBT, potentially improving the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening programs, and reducing unnecessary follow-up procedures and associated healthcare costs.
