Over a course of three years, nearly 1,000 patients were divided into three groups and randomly assigned to get either fecal occult blood testing or colonoscopy, or were given a choice between the two options.
Here are five highlights:
1. During the study, 42 percent of participants given a choice between the tests followed through with screening. Of the participants, 38 percent of people assigned to get colonoscopies received screening.
2. Only 14 percent of patients assigned to fecal blood testing had the test done each year of the study.
3. For the FOBT group, compliance was around 40 percent.
4. Fifty-one percent of participants in the colonoscopy group complied with screenings.
5. Additionally, the group given a choice between the two options had a 56 percent compliance rate.
“Fecal occult blood testing needs to be repeated every year to have the same protective effect as getting a colonoscopy every 10 years,” said lead study author Peter Liang, MD, University of Washington in Seattle. “Allowing people to choose their screening test and using patient navigators to help them get their tests completed will increase the overall adherence to colorectal cancer screening.”
More articles on GI/endoscopy:
5 GI physicians in the news — Nov. 13, 2015
GI physician leader to know: Dr. Adnan Said of UW Health
10 statistics on GI physician salary & bonus
