Inter-observer variability in the histological assessment of colorectal polyps detected through the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

Aims: Although effective clinical management of colorectal polyps detected through the National Health Service (NHS) Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) is dependent on the quality of pathological diagnosis, there have been few attempts to formally evaluate inter-observer variability in histological assessment. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of inter-observer variability on the reported prevalence of prognostic features in a large series of screen-detected colorectal polyps.

Methods And Results: A retrospective series of 1329 screen-detected polyps (2008-10) was identified from computerized records at two histopathology departments participating in the NHS BCSP.