Knowledge, attitudes, risk perception, and cancer screening behaviors among cancer survivors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Knowledge, attitudes, and risk perception in relation to second primary cancer (SPC) screening and their impact on screening practices in cancer survivors are largely unknown. METHODS: A total of 326 cancer survivors who had completed primary treatment for cancer >1 year previously were recruited from 6 oncology care outpatient clinics in the Republic of Korea. Survivors' knowledge, attitudes, perceived risk, and screening practices were assessed along with sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine behavioral factors associated with the completion of all appropriate SPC screening according to national guidelines. RESULTS: Approximately 37.7% of survivors had undergone all appropriate SPC screening tests. Survivors were found to have a high perceived risk of SPC, high perceived benefits of screening, and positive attitudes toward cancer screening. However, they had limited knowledge regarding SPC screening tests and few had received a recommendation from a physician to undergo SPC screening. Although there was no association found between perceived risk and positive attitudes with screening behavior, higher knowledge was noted to be significantly associated with the completion of all appropriate SPC screening (adjusted odds ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.33). CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, cancer survivors were found to have limited knowledge regarding second cancer screening tests, which may have resulted in lower rates of completion of screening practices in this population. Cancer 2011;117:3850-

Examining the Cervical Screening Behaviour of Women Aged 50 or above and Its Predicting Factors: A Population-Based Survey

“…Previous studies of Chinese and Western populations have observed that screening-related beliefs and knowledge influence women’s uptake of cervical cancer screening services [8,9,18]. In the present study, fewer than half of Chinese older women had ever had a test, a lower rate than those reported by the comparable age group in other populations [16,17,19,20,21].…”

“…Empirical and theoretical studies on cervical cancer screening have identified knowledge and perceptions of the personal risk of cervical cancer as important factors contributing to screening attendance [7]. Women who perceive a higher risk of developing cancer are more likely to seek preventive screening [8,9]. However, the evidence shows that Asian women’s knowledge of cervical cancer is inadequate [10,11,12].…”

Oncologists Experience with Second Primary Cancer Screening: Current Practices and Barriers and Potential Solutions

“…In Korea, oncologists see 20-60 patients on average in a single session (lasting 3-4 hours), and the consultation time is relatively short. According to previous studies, patients do not undergo SPC screening due to a lack of information (Shin et al, 2010), and they are less likely to be recommended SPC screening by their physicians (Shin et al, 2011). The results of the current study seem to support the previous findings by describing situations where oncologists cannot provide enough information about SPC screening to patients due to time constraints and their own limited knowledge about SPC.…”

Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Behavior in Female Cancer Survivors: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2012

“…First, cancer survivors believe that cancer screening is not necessary because they have routine medical examinations 1316). Second, there is a lack of physician recommendations about SPC screening.…”