Despite national guidelines for screening men and women for colorectal cancer, actual screening rates remain below 15% in the Canadian province of Alberta.
A recent telephone study found that only 14.3 percent of average risk Alberta adults were up-to-date on screenings. More women than men reported having had a recent fecal occult blood test (FOBT) — 14 percent versus 9.8 percent. Men were more likely to have had endoscopy in the past five years — 4.3 percent versus 1.6 percent of women.
Recommendation from a doctor to have colorectal screening was an important factor for patients who actually got tested. Men were five times more likely to be tested when a doctor suggested it, women almost four times so.
S. Elizabeth McGregor and her team concluded:
Three years after the release of national guidelines, rates of screening among average risk adults aged 50–74 yr were very low. Public education programs and primary care interventions to specifically invite average risk adults for screening may be required to increase CRC screening rates.
SOURCE: McGregor et.al.,American Journal of Gastroenterology, early online articles, 2007.
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