Acceptability of cancer screening among urban residents in Beijing

Objective To analyze the acceptability of cancer screening,including risk assessment,clinical screening techniques and organizational forms in upper digestive tract,colon and rectum,liver,lung cancer,and breast cancer screening among urban residents in Beijing and to provide a scientific basis for health decision-making on carrying out large-scale cancer screening and early diagnosis and treatment.Methods A random sample of 2 724 residents participating in early cancer detection and treatment project in Beijing was selected and surveyed with a questionnaire about acceptability of the cancer screening.Results Totally 71.20%of the respondents considered that the risk assessment through a questionnaire for general community population as a preliminary screening strategy was very good.The acceptability of the screening techniques for the five cancers was different among the respondents receiving clinical screening(χ²=84.64, P<0.000 1).The acceptability of low-dose spiral and thin-section computed tomography(CT)scan was the highest,and the acceptability of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was the lowest,with the ratios of “perfectly acceptable” of 94.44%and 47.10%,respectively.There were 71.77%of the respondents hoping to finish all the examinations for the five cancers' screening once a time,but there were also 11.16%of the respondents wanting to receive two different clinical screening examinations in separate date.Conclusion The cancer risk assessment with a questionnaire has a good feasibility among general community population but there are obvious differences in the acceptability for different clinical screening items among the population at higher risk,suggesting flexibility of cancer screening organization form needs to be improved.