Reading Centres

The tests conducted as part of the national organised colorectal cancer screening programme (faecal occult blood tests) make use of centralised reading, conducted in biomedical laboratories certified for the programme and trained in reading guaiac tests. These reading centres undertake to adhere to the specifications detailing their methods of organisation (training, internal quality control, simultaneous double reading of tests, interaction with screening partners, organisation of the reading and response time). An Organisational and procedural guide drafted at INCa’s initiative is also part of these specifications.

In practice, the reading centre receives tests prepared by men and women participating in screening, analyses them and sends the results to the participating population, to the structure in charge of organising the screening and to the GP.