Dr S. Elizabeth McGregor
Calgary-based researcher, Dr S. Elizabeth McGregor, wants to get you talking about colorectal cancer, an important first step in our ability to reduce the number of deaths from this disease.
Research has shown that widespread screening with tests like the fecal occult blood test can significantly reduce the death rate from colorectal cancer – the second leading cause of cancer death in Canada. And yet, it’s not known how many Canadians currently opt to be screened by their doctors.
With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, Dr McGregor’s research will soon provide some answers. She’s conducting a population-based study to ask people what they know about colorectal cancer and available screening tests, including the fecal occult blood test.
“Our approach was to look at this in as much detail as we could in Alberta, with the hope that the findings would apply across Canada,” says Dr McGregor, a research scientist in the Division of Population Health and Information at the Alberta Cancer Board in Calgary.
“We’re trying to understand what’s happening now. What are the baseline screening rates? Are there particular groups that are already being screened, and are there other groups that are under-screened?”
More than 1,800 people from across Alberta have been surveyed by telephone or interviewed in person. The data is still being analyzed but early results suggest that screening levels are quite low.
“While most people said they’d heard of colorectal cancer, they did not have very in-depth knowledge about it or about the availability of screening tests. And relatively few had ever talked to their doctor about it. Most people were also unaware that there are agencies recommending that they be screened.”
Dr McGregor’s goal is to identify the specific barriers and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed with new education and awareness programs. She hopes Alberta will lead the way in developing an organized, province-wide screening program that targets colorectal cancer (much as mammograms are widely used to screen for breast cancer).
“I think this research has the potential to have a big impact,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to help plan and implement programs that will actually reduce the number of people who die from colorectal cancer. We’re hoping that the findings will be useful to health care decision-makers in the near future.”
Last modified on:
10 December 2009
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