[Colorectal cancer screening: advice from the Health Council of the Netherlands].

There is sufficient evidence that a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programme is feasible, acceptable and cost-effective amongst the Dutch population. This is the conclusion of the Health Council of the Netherlands in an advisory report to the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. It also concluded that an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) would be the obvious screening method. The recommended target group is men and women aged 55-75. An evaluation of the randomized pilot trials in the regions of Nijmegen, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam predicted a participation rate of 60%. Based on the analyses from a microsimulation model, biennial screening for CRC with iFOBT and an uptake rate of 60% could prevent 1400 deaths from CRC per annum, at a cost of 2200 euros per years of life saved.