CONTEXT Dietary restriction is often recommended during fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) as a means of increasing test accuracy, but concern surrounds whether such restriction also reduces the chance that patients will complete the test. PURPOSE We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if advice about dietary restrictions affects the rate of completion of FOBT and the ...

BACKGROUND Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) can be adapted to a limited colonoscopy capacity by narrowing the age range or extending the screening interval, by using a more specific test or hemoglobin cutoff level for referral to colonoscopy, and by restricting surveillance colonoscopy. Which of these options is most clinically effective and cost-effective has yet to be established. METHODS ...

The quantity and quality of evidence supporting the effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening now rivals that of Pap smears and mammography screening. Table 1 synthesizes what we now know. Three large randomized trials were highly consistent in showing mortality reductions with screening fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and colonoscopic follow-up of positive results.1–3 One small trial,4 sever...

BACKGROUND We aim to describe levels of awareness and uptake of colorectal, breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening tests and to analyze the association to socio-demographic and health-related variables. METHODS Population-based cross-sectional study conducted using a home-based personal interview survey on a nationwide representative sample (n = 7938) of population aged ≥18 years (Onc...

OBJECTIVE To investigate overall colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates, patterns in the use of types of CRC screening, and sociodemographic characteristics associated with CRC screening; and to gain insight into physicians' perceptions about and use of fecal occult blood testing [FOBT] and colonoscopy for patients at average risk of CRC. DESIGN Mixed-methods study using cross-sectional admi...

BACKGROUND No head-to-head randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the superiority of one colorectal screening modality over another in reducing colorectal cancer mortality. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial of fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), optical colonoscopy (OC), and virtual colonoscopy (VC), to inform the planning of a larger evaluative trial. METHODS Eligible p...

BACKGROUND Although colorectal cancer screening is cost-effective, it requires a considerable net investment by governments or insurance companies. If screening was cost saving, governments and insurance companies might be more inclined to invest in colorectal cancer screening programs. We examined whether colorectal cancer screening would become cost saving with the widespread use of the newer...

BACKGROUND Australia has a comparatively high incidence of colorectal (bowel) cancer; however, population screening uptake using faecal occult blood test (FOBT) remains low. This study will determine the impact on screening participation of a novel, Internet-based Personalised Decision Support (PDS) package. The PDS is designed to measure attitudes and cognitive concerns and provide people with...

BACKGROUND Although largely preventable, Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. General Practitioners (GPs) have an important role to play in prevention and early detection of bowel cancer, however in Australia this is yet to be optimised and participation remains low. This study sought to understand how GPs' perceptions of bowel screening influence their attitudes...