MONDAY, March 22, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Some simple changes may improve colorectal cancer screening rates in the United States.
That claim comes from a study that's the first to evaluate barriers to screening and factors that might make it easier for people to get screened in a managed-care setting.
Colorectal screening rates in the United States are less than 50 percent, even though colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the nation. In part, that's because the cancer is often detected at advanced stages.
Widely available screening tests include fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS). Both can detect colorectal cancer earlier and reduce the risk of death.
This University of California, Los Angeles, survey of 1,340 HMO primary-care doctors found they screen only 79 percent of eligible patients. Half of the doctors said they recommended FOBT to less than 90 percent of eligible patients, FS to less than 70 percent of patients, and colonoscopy to less than 8 percent of patients.
The survey identified a number of barriers to the use of colorectal cancer screening. These include: poor payment for and lack of time to perform FS; concerns about false positives and negative test results with FOBT; poorly compliant and educated patients; and doctor forgetfulness about when to screen patients.
Suggested ways to improve screening rates include: increased payments to doctors; educating patients and doctors about current screening guidelines and screening effectiveness; developing methods to remind doctors and patients about screening; and regularly scheduled physical examinations.
The study appears in the March 22 online edition and in the May 1 print issue of Cancer.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more about colorectal cancer.
