New Harris Survey: Gaps Remain In Women's Knowledge About Cancer Prevention And Detection

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 29 Oct 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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Nearly two-thirds of women (63%) mistakenly believe that if a typical woman has no family history of cancer, then she is at low risk for developing the disease, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). In fact, most cancers occur in people with no family history of the disease. The ACOG survey data underscore the need for better education and understanding of the various steps women can take to prevent cancer and to detect it early.

"There is a worrisome gap in women's knowledge about cancer. That knowledge gap combined with women's fear of cancer may be putting their health at risk," said Douglas W. Laube, MD, MEd, ACOG immediate past president.

Recently, the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, issued by the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others, showed an average 2.1% decline in cancer death rates each year from 2002 through 2004-nearly double the average 1.1% decrease from 1993 through 2002. "This is great news," said Dr. Laube, "and the results of our new survey provide direction for reducing the cancer death rate even further.

"On a positive note," said Dr. Laube, "according to the ACOG survey data, 76% of women feel knowledgeable about how they can reduce their risk of cancer and, as evidenced by the Annual Report, many are on the right track. Nonetheless, survey findings reveal that only half (52%) of women feel they are currently doing enough to reduce their risk of cancer, 10% say they haven't done anything in the past year to reduce their risk of cancer, and nearly one in five (17%) are not willing to change their daily lifestyles even if it will reduce their risk of cancer."

Fear of cancer further complicates a woman's willingness to take important screening tests that can detect cancer early: One in five (20%) say they do not want to know if they have cancer. According to the survey:

- While 77% of women believe that seeing a health care provider regularly can help reduce their risk of cancer, only 56% saw their health care provider on a regular basis in the past year.

- 29% of women have neither seen a health care provider on a regular basis, nor had a Pap test or a mammogram in the past year.

- When asked why they have not taken any of these steps, nearly one in five women who have neither seen a health care provider on a regular basis, nor had a Pap test or mammogram in the past year (18%) say they didn't think it was necessary, 7% say they didn't know how to get screened, and 7% think it is a waste of time.

"A far more significant reason women who have neither seen a health care provider on a regular basis, nor had a Pap test or a mammogram in the past year (37%) gave for not getting routine health care is that they can't afford it," said Dr. Laube. "The greatest potential to further reduce the cancer death toll will come from efforts to improve screening and access to preventive health care, particularly for women without health insurance. Access to health care is among ACOG's top legislative priorities."

In response to these findings, ACOG launched a new web-based guide to serve as an impetus for women of all ages to talk with their ob-gyns about cancer prevention and detection. Protect & Detect: What Women Should Know about Cancer is designed for women to use in partnership with their ob-gyns to help them take charge of their health and improve their understanding of their risk of developing cancer and the lifestyle changes they can make to reduce their risk.

The guide discusses the main cancers occurring in women-breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, ovarian, and uterine cancer-and offers information about who is most at risk, how cancer can be prevented, available screenings and their recommended frequency, and how the cancer is treated.

Another key message in the guide is that cancer can occur without symptoms. Even if the symptoms are present, they may be mistaken for a harmless health condition or may not appear until the disease is advanced. Dr. Laube reminded women that most cancers occur in people with no family history of the disease, so those without a family history cannot assume that they aren't at risk.

The guide provides clear and easy-to-understand information, some of which may come as a surprise to some women, according to Stanley Zinberg, MD, MS, ACOG deputy executive vice president. "We hope this resource will not only reinforce the importance of understanding one's risk of developing cancer but will heighten awareness of appropriate screenings that are such a critical part of cancer prevention."

In tandem with the launch of the guide, ACOG released new guidelines for colorectal cancer screening that recommend that women, beginning at age 50, be screened for colorectal cancer by colonoscopy every 10 years. ACOG is the only primary care organization promoting colonoscopy as the preferred screening method for colorectal cancer for both average-risk and high-risk women. ACOG acknowledges colonoscopy as the "gold standard" for preventing colorectal cancer because of its superiority in detecting precancerous lesions with the added ability of being able to remove them during the procedure.

"Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among women. Unfortunately, you may have no symptoms-you can look healthy and feel healthy and not know there is a problem. But it is highly curable if found early, and proper screening is the key," said Dr. Zinberg.

Protect & Detect: What Women Should Know about Cancer is available online at www.acog.org.

About ACOG

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is the national medical organization representing over 51,000 members who provide health care for women. The survey findings were released during the ACOG District II/NY Annual Meeting in New York City.

About the Survey

Harris Interactive® conducted this online survey on behalf of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists between October 1 and October 3, 2007, among 1,664 women ages 18 and older. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and, therefore, no theoretical estimates of sampling error can be calculated.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

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