Knowledge, Symptom Awareness, and Referral Practices of Primary Care Providers in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Population Health Management, 2026, v. 29, no. 2: Knowledge, Symptom Awareness, and Referral Practices of Primary Care Providers in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.
• Journal Article:
  Population Health Management
• Personal Author:
  Townsend, Julie S. ; Puckett, Mary C. ; Coleman King, Sallyann M. ; Joseph, Djenaba A.
• Description:
  Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and death rates are increasing among people under age 50 in the United States. In addition to promoting on-time screening for average-risk adults starting at age 45, CRC signs and symptoms may need timely assessment by a health care provider to rule out other conditions and identify a diagnosis. The objective of this study was to examine primary care providers' (PCPs') awareness of CRC-related symptoms and their diagnostic approaches for patients under age 50 using the 2023 DocStyles panel survey. This survey included 1490 PCPs practicing in the United States. A descriptive analysis was conducted to examine symptom awareness and referral practices. Log binomial regression was used to examine predictors of greater symptom awareness. Symptom awareness of early-onset CRC was highest for changes in bowel habits (79%) and lowest for abdominal pain (43%). Fewer obstetricians/gynecologists and physician assistants were aware of CRC signs and symptoms. Most PCPs would complete a workup and assess patients for family history of cancer for patients presenting with rectal bleeding/bloody stools, iron deficiency anemia, or changes in bowel habits. Around 45% of PCPs would refer patients with rectal bleeding/bloody stools to diagnostic colonoscopy or offer a stool-based screening test. Some PCPs may benefit from additional training on signs and symptoms of early-onset CRC and evidence-based guidelines for symptom assessment. These findings indicate that many PCPs prefer to complete a medical workup and assess for family history of cancer as first steps, and most would not immediately refer patients to diagnostic colonoscopy.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Colorectal Neoplasms
  • Referral and Consultation
  • Female
  • Male
  • Primary Health Care
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Middle Aged
  • Adult
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Primary health care
  • colorectal cancer
  • referral and consultation
  • signs and symptoms
• Source:
  Population Health Management, 2026, v. 29, no. 2
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/19427891251411924
• ISSN:
  1942-7891 ; 1942-7905
• Pubmed ID:
  41943394
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC13060022
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  94-102 (18 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260706/cdc_260706_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 643.06 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c793dde2d599315f7327b367d76dc08f158a43aa81a538aab46dbb89342bfb31342067e0f9f0ec4a84433dece83ce851fa4652e2b8494501c3e0eff53fc1d4c