Effectiveness Of Early Screening For Colorectal Cancer In Reducing Mortality Rates: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy with mortality and incidence rates persisting to increase. It is one of the major reasons of cancer-related mortality. There is a progression in CRC therapeutic modalities; however, such modalities are inadequate to curb the increasing CRC burden. Screening has the ability to reduce CRC burden with a reduction in the CRC mortality rate. Hence, early detection can reduce the CRC burden and mortality while improving its survival.

Aim:

To assess the effectiveness of early screening of CRC on survival and mortality of the patients by reviewing the previous studies concerned with this subject.

Methods:

Electronic databases of scientific websites were explored using several related keywords to obtain articles related to our topic. The articles of interest were those focused on the impact of CRC screening on mortality and/or survival and published from 2016 to 2025. The eligible articles were original ones written in the English language and were available for full-text.

Results:

Eight studies met the determined criteria and were enrolled in the review. The studies were published between 2018 and 2025. The included populations in the studies were heterogeneous, but they all focused on one objective, which was the impact of CRC screening on survival and/or mortality.

Conclusion:

CRC early screening was effective in improving survival and reducing mortality related to CRC, even in advanced stages and metastasis. Also, there were some factors that could influence the survival of screened CRC patients that require further investigation.