Minority patients prefer optical colonoscopy for colorectal cancer...( The clinical importance of colorecta...),Health

The clinical importance of colorectal cancer screening is well established, however the majority of eligible people do not undergo screening tests. It is important to identify which tests may encourage individuals to be screened in order to help increase the survival rate of the disease. Individuals of racial/ethnic minorities strongly prefer and better tolerate optical colonoscopy (OC) versus white patients who prefer computed tomographic (CT) colonography for the evaluation of the colon, according to a new study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Additionally, patients who had a prior history of polyps preferred undergoing OC, most likely since they were aware of their increased risk of polyps which would necessitate removal using colonoscopy.

We were somewhat surprised at the results of our study as we had assumed that racial/ethnic minorities would have preferred CT colonography as the less invasive screening test, said Edmund J. Bini, MD, MPH, of the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System and lead investigator of the study. These findings have important clinical implications for the development of programs that will encourage racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. to be screened for colorectal cancer.

The study found that if recommended by their physicians, significantly more study participants would be willing to undergo OC versus those who would undergo CT colonography. Overall, patients in the study felt OC was more painful than CT colonography, however they experienced more bloating and embarrassment during CT colonography than during OC.

Black patients were the most satisfied with OC as opposed to white participants who were the least satisfied during this procedure. White patients experienced more abdominal pain, discomfort and bloating during OC. Patients who identified their race/ethnicity as other experienced the greatest embarrassment and anxiety scores.

During the CT colonography,
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