Rates of diagnosis through screening and factors associated with screening among patients with colorectal cancer

Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Screening programs increase survival by enabling early detection of the disease and reduce the costs of advanced-stage treatment. This study aimed to determine the rate of diagnosis through screening programs in patients diagnosed with CRC and to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical factors affecting this rate. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 257 patients diagnosed with CRC at the Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic of Ankara Etlik City Hospital. Patients were divided into two groups: those diagnosed through the screening program and those diagnosed as a result of symptomatic referral. The groups were compared in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. Related variables were first evaluated using univariate analysis, and variables found to be significant were included in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The median age of participants was 65, and 61.9% were male. 11.7% of patients were diagnosed through the screening program, while 88.3% were diagnosed as a result of symptomatic presentation. The majority of patients diagnosed through screening were in the early-stage disease group (72.7%). In the screening group, the proportion of women (60.0%), the proportion of university graduates (50.0%), and the presence of a family history of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer were significantly higher (p=0.009, p