Adherence to Screening Colonoscopy: Can We Get Our Recommendations to Stick?

Although colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the USA, its incidence and mortality have decreased in men and women since 1997, a reduction attributed, in part, to the increased use of CRC screening modalities [1]. Colonoscopy, regarded by most expert advisory groups as the mainstay of CRC screening, is the only modality that both detects and removes neoplastic polyps from the entire colon. Despite its efficacy, only 20–38 % of the population is adherent to CRC screening guidelines [2, 3]. Colonoscopy at present is estimated to decrease CRC-related mortality by 53 %, with further decrements expected if a greater proportion of individuals received age-appropriate screening [4]. Given limited healthcare resources, information that enables practitioners to focus interventions on populations most likely to be non-adherent to screening colonoscopy is valuable. Multiple patient factors influence adherence to CRC screening [5, 6]. Demographic factors associated with lower rates of screening include female gender, younger age, low income or educational attainment, recent immigrant status, lack of health insurance, and persons of African-American or Hispanic descent [5]. Health factors associated with non-adherence include multiple medical comorbidities and decreased primary care utilization [6]. Nevertheless, little is known about how adherence differs among patients who are undergoing surveillance colonoscopy indicated for a history of colorectal polyps or are undergoing screening colonoscopy. In this issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Greenspan et al. [7] report the results of a prospective study comparing rates of adherence to screening and surveillance colonoscopy in a population of 617 patients seeking care at an urban, tertiary medical center. Of multiple demographic factors studied in patients scheduled to undergo colonoscopy, patients scheduled for screening colonoscopy were significantly less likely to undergo their procedures than those scheduled for surveillance of adenomatous polyps (RR 5.42, CI 2.74–10.75). This intuitive finding represents a new, easily identifiable factor toward which patient adherence efforts can be directed. While univariate analysis indicated that female gender and the presence of medical comorbidities (represented by clopidogrel use and a history of congestive heart failure) were associated with an increased risk of non-adherence, these were not significant according to multivariable logistic regression analysis, consistent with prior studies [8]. The single factor associated with non-adherence and repeated procedure cancellations according to multivariable analysis, was indication for colonoscopy [7]. Although patients with a prior history of adenomatous polyps are at high risk of the development of adenomas or carcinoma (20–50 %) at subsequent surveillance colonoscopy, the risk of adenoma or carcinoma in asymptomatic patients undergoing screening colonoscopy can also be as high as 50 % [9]. Thus, it is appropriate to direct efforts toward ensuring adherence to screening colonoscopy in averagerisk screening populations. The authors also report noteworthy data regarding efforts that may not improve adherence. Prior consultation with a gastroenterologist did not affect colonoscopy & Rajesh N. Keswani rkeswani@nm.org