Comparison of the Uptake of Screening Colonoscopy between Physicians and the General Population in Greece

Aim: To evaluate the uptake of screening colonoscopy among physicians as compared to the general population. Methods: Asymptomatic physicians, aged 45–67 years, at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), working in the participating National Health System hospitals were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the uptake of screening colonoscopy. The results were compared to those in a background healthy population, aged 50–75 years, inhabitants of a Greek county, who were offered a free access to a screening colonoscopy program for CRC. High-risk adenomas were those ≥10 mm in diameter or any adenoma, regardless of size, with villous histology or high-grade dysplasia. Results: Overall, 267 of 782 physicians and 402 of 6,534 nonphysicians underwent a screening colonoscopy (uptake rates 34.2 and 6.2% respectively, p = 0.00001). Screening colonoscopy has yielded 4 adenocarcinomas (1.6%), 14 high-risk adenomas (5.5%), and 61 low-risk adenomas (25.7%) in the physicians’ group. Corresponding figures in the nonphysician arm were 4 (1), 26 (6.5), and 107 (26.6%), respectively. The main reason among physicians for nonadherence was indifference/negligence (n = 213). Conclusion: The proportion of physicians undergoing screening colonoscopy for CRC is significantly higher compared to the general population; however, it does remain suboptimal.