Abstract
Objective:The goal of this study was to measure colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) utilization in Saudi Arabia ’s elderly population and to assess the factors associated with CRCS.Methods:The Saudi National Survey for Elderly Health was used to examine CRCS utilization. It is a nationally representative population-based cross-sectional survey that was conducted between 2006-2007. Utilization of CRCS was defined as any colonoscopy during the last five years or fecal occult blood test (FOBT) during the twelve months before the interview. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess patients’ demographics, co-morbidities, number of visits to primary health clinics, and hospital availability and accessibility impact on CRCS.Results:The prevalence of CRCS utilization among Saudi elderly population was 5.64%. The fecal occult blood test was done in 4.4% of subjects while scope use was performed in 0.55%. In addition, 0.69% of patients have gone through both FOBT and scope use. Having blood in stools (OR=2.80; 95%CI: 1.3-6.00), Self-drivers (OR= 2.52) private driver (OR=2.1; 95%CI: 1.15-3.7) having 4 or more visits to primary care centers 1.81 (95%CI: 1.14-2.86) were positively associated with CRCS utilization. On the other hand, being single was negatively associated with CRCS utilization.Conclusion:In this nationally representative sample CRCS prevalence was very low. According to our findings and in the context of the burden of colorectal cancer on the population, we recommend developing national evidence-based policies and programs that take in consideration easiness of transportation and the availability of primary care centers near to Saudi elderly population.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered one of the most common tumors worldwide (Ferlay et al, 2010)
The fecal occult blood test was done in 4.4% of subjects while scope to the colon was performed in 0.55%
Among the Saudi elderly population, the percentage of subjects who had fecal occult blood test (FOBT) was 5.0% compared to 11.7% among the subjects in the US national survey (Joseph et al, 2012)
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered one of the most common tumors worldwide (Ferlay et al, 2010). CRC is regarded as the third most common cancer in males representing 10% of all cancers and second in females (9.2%) (Ferlay et al, 2010). In Saudi Arabia, overall, CRC is the second most common reported malignancy. (Mosli and Al-Ahwal, 2012; Zubaidi et al, 2015) It comes first in rank in males and second in females after breast cancer (Saudi Cancer Registry, 2016). (World health orgnisation, 2012) Regarding the Age-standardized death rates in the EMRO region, Saudi Arabia fell in second place and ranked as the 69th worldwide with 8.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in CRC. Colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) has been shown to reduce the mortality and morbidity of colon cancer among the general population.
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