Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor Fraser graduated BSc and PhD from the University of Aberdeen. After a year of postdoctoral work in the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, he returned to the University of Aberdeen as Lecturer in Chemical Pathology in 1970. From 1975, he was Chief Clinical Biochemist at the then new Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry in the Flinders University of South Australia, later Associate Professor. He returned to Scotland in 1983 and was Director of Biochemical Medicine, NHS Tayside, and Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews. He is currently Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening, Honorary Professor, University of Dundee, and Honorary Consultant Clinical Biochemist, NHS Tayside. He has published over 300 papers, 14 book chapters and two monographs, “Interpretation of Clinical Chemistry Laboratory Data” and the best-selling “Biological Variation: From Principles to Practice”: both books have been translated into Spanish and the second also into Japanese, Russian, Italian and Turkish. He has served on many regional, national and international professional bodies. Over the last 20 years, he has been heavily involved in the setting up of the UK Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot, the development and roll-out of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme and the assessment of newer faecal tests. He was a founding Member of the Expert Working Group on Faecal Immunochemical Tests for Screening of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Committee, World Endoscopy Organization. He has been honoured in 1966 by the Foundation Award and Honorary Membership of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. He has also been honoured in 2017 with the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine’s highest award for his important achievements as a scientist in laboratory medicine.
Research interests
Current research interests include:
Assessment of newer faecal tests in colorectal (bowel) cancer screening and assessment of patients presenting with lower abdominal symptoms:
Making better use of quantitative measurements of faecal haemoglobin concentration, including in risk scoring systems:
Generation and application of data on biological variation and analytical performance specifications.
Research
Impact
Blogs for the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network raise wider awareness of the research performed, most recently:
FIT - a little goes a long way
Scotland is now a FITter nation
Don't stop taking the medicine
Contributed to web discussions on faecal tests, particularly on their use in assessment of symptomatic patients.
Contributed to the activities of Bowel Cancer UK.
Responded in detail to the 2018 consultation on bowel screening of the United Kingdom National Screening Committee.
Gave interview on a publication to BBC Radio Scotland, broadcast 17 July 2018.
The research that has been done over the past more than 20 years by the team has led to full roll-out of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, the adoption of new screening algorithms, the introduction of a new quantitative faecal haemoglobin measurement system for the Programme and a wide awareness of the many new clinical applications of faecal haemoglobin concentration measurements, particularly the more novel application of faecal tests in assessment of patients presenting in primary care with lower gastrointestinal symptoms.
PhD supervision
Most recent: Jayne Digby “Faecal haemoglobin in screening and assessment of the symptomatic” 2016
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Finished
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Intelligent Use of Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Testing for Haemoglobin in Screening and Symptomatic Populations
Fraser, C. (Investigator), Mowat, C. (Investigator) & Steele, B. (Investigator)
1/11/19 → 31/10/21
Project: Research
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Stratifying Risk of Colorectal Disease in Order to Direct the Use of Colonoscopy in Symptomatic Patients (Stratified Medicine Call)
Anderson, A. (Investigator), Fraser, C. (Investigator), Mowat, C. (Investigator), Steele, B. (Investigator) & Strachan, J. (Investigator)
1/07/15 → 31/12/17
Project: Research
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Aref#d: 19252. Establishing a Bowel Screening Research Unit (joint with Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Tayside Health Board and Information Services Division) Archived by MC on 24/10/16 was CO0475
Carey, F. (Investigator), Fraser, C. (Investigator) & Steele, B. (Investigator)
1/09/07 → 31/08/12
Project: Research
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Colorectal cancer screening in the UK: A public health intervention of unrealised potential
Steele, R. J. C. (Lead / Corresponding author) & Fraser, C. G., 21 Apr 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Medical Screening. 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Correction to: Fecal Immunochemical Test Positivity Thresholds: An International Survey of Population-Based Screening Programs (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, (2024), 10.1007/s10620-024-08664-7)
Young, G. P., Benton, S. C., Bresalier, R. S., Chiu, H. M., Dekker, E., Fraser, C. G., Frasa, M. A. M., Halloran, S. P., Hoffmeister, M., Parry, S., Selby, K., Senore, C., Singh, H. & Symonds, E. L., 11 Mar 2025, In: Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Quand et comment prescrire une recherche de sang dans les selles ?
Denis, B., Tabard, L., Guillon, C., L’hironde, J. & Fraser, C., 23 Jan 2025, In: La Revue du praticien. 75, p. 13-18 6 p.Translated title of the contribution :When and how to prescribe a fecal occult blood test? Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
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Do risk scores improve use of faecal immunochemical testing for haemoglobin in symptomatic patients in primary care?
Digby, J. (Lead / Corresponding author), Fraser, C. G., Clark, G., Mowat, C., Strachan, J. A. & Steele, R. J. C., Apr 2024, In: Colorectal Disease. 26, 4, p. 675-683 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)24 Downloads (Pure) -
Fecal Immunochemical Test Positivity Thresholds: An International Survey of Population-Based Screening Programs
Young, G. P. (Lead / Corresponding author), Benton, S. C., Bresalier, R. S., Chiu, H.-M., Dekker, E., Fraser, C., Frasa, M. A. M., Halloran, S. P., Hoffmeister, M., Parry, S., Selby, K., Senore, C., Singh, H. & Symonds, E. L., 11 Nov 2024, In: Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)62 Downloads (Pure)