A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals patients are more likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening if they are provided choices for the type of screening test, according to a news release.
The study was conducted by John M. Inadomi, MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, and colleagues. They enrolled 997 participants in a randomized clinical trial conducted in the San Francisco Community Health Network, the public healthcare system of San Francisco.
Within 12 months of enrollment, 58 percent completed the colorectal cancer screening strategy they were assigned or chose. However, a significantly lower percentage of participants (38 percent) in the colonoscopy group completed that procedure compared with participants in the fecal occult blood testing group completing that screening (67 percent) or those participants who were allowed to choose their screening (69 percent).
"This study found that limiting the recommendation for colorectal cancer screening to colonoscopy can result in a lower completion rate for colorectal cancer screening compared with providing a choice between FOBT or colonoscopy, especially among ethnic/racial minorities," the authors commented, according to the release.
The authors also observed significant racial/ethnic differences in screening completion, with whites more often completing colonoscopy and nonwhites more often completing FOBT.
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