Population Screening Act: accelerated repeat screening for bowel cancer

The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport has recently decided to implement a national bowel cancer screening programme starting in 2013. This screening programme involves offering an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) to people aged between 55 and 75 years every two years.

The question is whether repeat iFOBT screening at short intervals for a limited number of times yields equally good results as iFOBT screening every two years. In order to study this hypothesis, the Elkerliek Hospital in Helmond and the Comprehensive Cancer Centre South (IKZ) in Eindhoven have submitted a licence application in accordance with the Population Screening Act (WBO). The Population Screening Committee of the Health Council has tested the study described in the licence application against the WBO, as requested by the minister.