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The Environmental Consequence of Early Colorectal Cancer Detection: A Literature Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment of Colorectal Cancer Diagnostic Pathways
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Dean Harris
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Volume: 22, Issue: 11, Start page: 1649
Swansea University Authors:
Ife Osinkolu, Arron S. Lacey , Dean Harris
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© 2025 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
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DOI (Published version): 10.3390/ijerph22111649
Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a burden to healthcare globally, with early detection vital to improving outcomes. While screening and early diagnostic strategies are being widely implemented, their environmental impact remains underexplored. The purpose of this literature review is to examin...
| Published in: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
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| ISSN: | 1660-4601 |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70971 |
| Abstract: |
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a burden to healthcare globally, with early detection vital to improving outcomes. While screening and early diagnostic strategies are being widely implemented, their environmental impact remains underexplored. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the existing research on the environmental footprint of non-emergency sporadic CRC diagnostic pathways and provide an overview of environmental impact assessment processes. Principal findings: Population-based screening appears environmentally beneficial over time, but its efficiency critically determines its net impact. Studies identify endoscopy as having the highest environmental impact among testing modalities. The dominant contributor to this is patient and staff travel. By contrast, faecal-based tests appear to have the lowest environmental footprint. Notably, pathway-wide assessments are limited, and methodological inconsistencies hinder comparing studies. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to standardise a healthcare sector-specific framework for environmental impact assessments. Emerging biomarker-based diagnostics will require a robust pathway-wide environmental impact assessment before clinical integration. |
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| Keywords: |
colorectal; cancer; life cycle assessment; sustainability |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
The authors declare funding of this article by the Swansea Bay Health Charity GI Research Fund. |
| Issue: |
11 |
| Start Page: |
1649 |