All research presented at ACG 2025 is strictly embargoed until 12:00 pm local Arizona Time, which aligns with Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)/3:00 pm ET on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
Oral 9 – Yield of Post-Polypectomy Interval Fecal Immunochemical Testing: Results From a Large Nationwide Veterans’ Affairs Database
Monday, October 27, 2025 | 10:06 AM – 10:18 AM PDT | North Ballroom 120D
Author Insight from Natalie J. Wilson, MD
What’s new here and important for clinicians?
Current guidelines recommend surveillance colonoscopy after polypectomy. Stool-based tests, such as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), are not recommended for surveillance, but are sometimes used in this setting in real-world practice. In this large U.S. study, we found interval FITs are frequently performed in patients with and without prior polypectomy. Positive results carried a high risk of advanced neoplasia (8-9%) or cancer (3%), regardless of prior polypectomy history. Clinicians should recognize that a positive FIT always warrants a follow-up colonoscopy, even in patients with a recent colonoscopy and regardless of polypectomy history.
What do patients need to know?
Patients should be aware that even if colon polyps were removed in the past, a stool-based test like FIT can still detect warning signs of colorectal cancer. A positive FIT result should always be followed by colonoscopy, even if the patient has had a recent colonoscopy or polyp removal, because cancers and advanced polyps can still develop over time.
Author Contact
Natalie J. Wilson, MD (she/her/hers)
University of Minnesota
Chapel Hill, NC
natalie.wilson [at] unchealth.unc.edu
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