Colorectal cancer screening beliefs - Focus groups with first-degree Relatives

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this paper is to describe die perceived benefits and barriers to colorectal cancer screening reported by first-degree relat ives of colorectal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study. the authors used focus groups to iden tify perceived benefits and barriers to colorectal cancer screening among p arents and children of colorectal cancer patients. Four focus groups were c onducted with relatives of colorectal cancer patients seen at two universit y medical centers in the Midwest. The groups ranged in size from five to ei ght members each and were stratified by gender. RESULTS: Four benefits of colorectal cancer screening were identified by pa rticipants: finding colorectal cancer early, decreasing the chances of dyin g from colorectal cancer, freedom from worry about colorectal cancer, and r eassurance that one was cancer-free. Four main barriers were identified tha t applied to all four types of colorectal cancer screening or to colorectal cancer screening in general. These included inadequate public awareness of colorectal cancer, inconsistent recommendations from healthcare providers. concerns about the efficacy of screening tests? and embarrassment. Barrier s unique to each screening test also were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding individual beliefs about the benefits and barrie rs to colorectal cancer screening will allow clinicians and researchers to develop effective interventions to increase screening. Results from die foc us groups have been used to develop an instrument to measure benefits and b arriers to colorectal cancer screening, which now needs to be tested with m ore culturally and socioeconomically diverse groups.