Nashville, Tenn., (April 11, 2007) – Nearly 80 percent of people who have had a colonoscopy (colon cancer detection procedure) said that despite the inconvenience, they were “more willing” to take another such test after their initial experience, according to a new national survey.
And that’s good news because colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S. - and it is largely preventable.
“We want the public to know that with one simple procedure, a colonoscopy, a person can almost eliminate colon cancer by detecting and removing precancerous growths or polyps before they become cancer,” according to Dr. Bergein F. Overholt, board certified gastroenterologist and medical director for AmSurg Corp, said. “Unlike a purely diagnostic medical test, a colonoscopy not only diagnoses early indications of colon cancer, but prevents it from ever occurring in most people.”
The nationwide telephone survey was conducted in February, 2007, and included adults 50 years old or older (national guidelines recommend that everyone get at colonoscopy at age 50).
Thirty-nine percent of respondents who had experienced a colonoscopy compared it to “a walk in the park” and another 54 percent said it was unpleasant, but they’d do it again for their health the study found.
“It appears that fear of the unknown is preventing a lot of people from this life-saving procedure, because once you’ve had one, patients say it’s no big deal,” Dr. Overholt said:
Presently, about half of those individuals ages 50 and older have not gotten their colonoscopy. The survey revealed that among all age groups the biggest reason was no reason at all: 25 percent of the respondents cited no particular reason/just didn’t want to do it; 16 percent hadn’t gotten around to it; 8 percent didn’t know it was important and 8 percent didn’t have any family history of the disease.
Almost half admitted that even if knowledgeable authorities like the American Cancer Society recommended a colonoscopy--which it does--this might not influence them to get it.
“It’s frightening how many people think you have to have a family history of colon cancer or have symptoms to really need a colonoscopy,” Dr. Overholt said. “Almost 80 percent of those who get colon cancer have no family history, and if you wait for symptoms to appear, chances are you have an advanced stage of colon cancer.
“This is one of those rare cancers that most people can easily prevent with the early detection and prevention a colonoscopy offers. It makes no sense that many still do not take action,” Dr. Overholt said.
Other findings included:
- There is confusion as to how deadly colon cancer is: one in 10 said they believed colon cancer always resulted in death. About the same number believed that colon cancer is always curable. FACT: Colon cancer is more than 90 percent curable if it is caught in the early stages.
- There is no sense of urgency in getting a colonoscopy. Of those surveyed who had not had a colonoscopy, only about 20 percent had any intention of getting one in the near future.
- People age 60 and up were more likely to have had a colonoscopy than were younger “over 50s.” Only 37 percent of the participants were between the ages of 50-59 when they had their first colonoscopy. (American Cancer Society recommends the test at age 50).
- Fifty-nine percent said colon screening was easier than they expected it to be.
- Sixty-two percent said they had their first colonoscopy done because their doctor recommended it.
- Eleven percent had not done it because their physician had not yet mentioned it to them.
- 48 percent said they personally knew someone whose life had been affected by colon cancer.
Only 8 percent of those who had a colonoscopy would do it again “only if my life depended on it.” FACT: It does.
Commissioned by AmSurg Corp, results are based on a national opinion poll that included 804 adults, ages 50+ and was conducted during February, 2007, by Prince Market Research, an independent marketing research firm. The sample was controlled to achieve an equal mix of females and males. The margin of error for the overall results is +/- 3.5%. The full set of research results can be found on the AmSurg website: www.amsurg.com.
###
ABOUT AMSURG (NASDAQ: AMSG)
AmSurg Corp. develops, acquires, and manages ambulatory surgery centers, primarily single specialty, in partnership with physicians. As of Dec. 31, 2006, AmSurg owned a majority interest in 156 centers in operation (104 single-specialty GI) and had five centers under development.
|
