A Pilot Colorectal Cancer Study Using Fecal Occult Blood Tests and Colonoscopy to Identify the Weaknesses of the Romanian Public Healthcare System before Implementing National Screening

The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in the absence of a national screening program using the resources provided by the Romanian healthcare system. Study participants were recruited from adult patients (over 18 years old) registered with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-01, Vol.20 (3), p.2531
Main Authors: Bărbulescu, Linda-Nicoleta, Mogoantă, Stelian-Ștefăniță, Bărbulescu, Lucian-Florentin, Kamal, Constantin, Popa, Didi-Liliana, Popa, Radu-Teodoru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Blood
Blood tests
Cancer
Colonoscopy
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal carcinoma
Colorectal Neoplasms - diagnosis
Delivery of Health Care
Early Detection of Cancer
Feces
Gastroenterology
Health care
Humans
Lung cancer
Mass Screening
Medical screening
Mortality
Occult Blood
Patients
Romania
Urban areas
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Summary:The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in the absence of a national screening program using the resources provided by the Romanian healthcare system. Study participants were recruited from adult patients (over 18 years old) registered with a general practitioner from an urban area over a period of 3 years (October 2019 to September 2022). Patients were recruited when they came for a consult at their family physician's office. The study excluded patients with a medical history of colorectal cancer. Written consent was obtained from the patients who agreed to participate. Patients who agreed to participate were recommended to undergo a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). For those with a positive FOBT result, a colonoscopy was recommended. The study identified a need and willingness of patients to participate in CRC screening when they were informed about it, especially when it involved a noninvasive test such as FOB. We did not anticipate the refusal to perform FOBT in the public healthcare system because the recommendation was made by a GP. We identified a deficit of specialists that can perform colonoscopies in the public healthcare system, insufficient health education, and a lack of dedicated pathways for screening.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20032531