Siblings of CRC Patients Resistant to Screening Advocacy

The siblings of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) showed low rates of response to screening advocacy, even when their siblings with CRC were involved in providing tailored educational materials, according to researchers reporting in the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.  

The siblings of patients with have a higher risk of developing CRC than the general population, but their rates of CRC screening remain low, the authors noted.

The investigators sought to determine whether patients with CRC might be able to increase sibling screening rates used tailored or existing screening guidelines. They randomized 219 CRC survivors into the intervention group using tailored materials (n = 110) and those using standard guideline information on screening (n = 109.) The outcomes were patient advocacy rates, defined as the number of patients who successfully contacted at least 1 sibling, between the groups, as well as how many eligible siblings responded to the study team seeking more information on CRC screening.

The study ran from May 2017 through March 2021. “Patient advocacy rates were high and did not differ significantly between groups. However, only 14.3% of eligible siblings (n = 85) responded to the study team,” the authors wrote. “Siblings of patients from the intervention group were more likely to respond (adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.0; P < .05). Moreover, after controlling for potential confounders, siblings aged ≥60 years were significantly less likely to respond (adjusted odds ratio, .3; 95% confidence interval, .1-.7; P < .01).”

Patients with CRC “are willing advocates of screening, and siblings contacted by patients from the intervention group were also more likely to reach out to the study team,” the authors stated. “However, overall sibling response rates were low despite advocacy, suggesting that patient-led advocacy should at best be used as an adjunct to other, multipronged CRC screening promotion modalities.”

—Rebecca Mashaw

Reference:
Choe L, Lau J, Fong SY, Wong ML, Koh GCH, Tan, KK. Colorectal cancer patients advocating screening to their siblings: a randomized behavioral intervention. Gastrointest Endosc. 2022;95(3): 519-526. doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2021.11.042