The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.
SMJ // Article
Original Article
Online Interest in Colorectal Cancer Screening in Florida
Abstract
Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer death for men and women combined. It is estimated that in 2024, 53,010 people will have died from CRC. The objective of this study was to analyze online interest in CRC screening in Florida.Methods: Google Trends was queried for “colorectal cancer screening,” “fecal occult blood test,” and “colonoscopy” from 2004 to the present. The relative search volume (RSV) ranged from 0 to 100, with 0 meaning no interest and 100 signifying maximum popularity.
Results: Google Trends analysis revealed variations in interest for CRC screening, fecal occult blood test as a screen, and colonoscopy across Florida metropolitan areas. Gainesville consistently ranked high for all three terms. Interest peaked for screening in 2009 and 2022, for fecal occult blood test in 2024, and for colonoscopy in 2007. Related search terms focused on screening guidelines, procedures, and preparation.
Conclusions: Google Trends can provide a useful tool for evaluating interest in Florida for CRC screening, which is important because there are screening disparities across Florida counties compared with national and state averages. By identifying areas with lower search interest, healthcare providers and public health organizations can target community interventions based on the specific barriers faced by residents in each metropolis.
Full Article
Having trouble viewing the article content below? Click here to open it directly.
Images
References
1. Xi Y, Xu P. Global colorectal cancer burden in 2020 and projections to 2040. Transl Oncol 2021;14:101174.
2. Siegel RL, Giaquinto AN, and Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2024. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2024;74:12-49.
3. National Cancer Institute. Financial burden of cancer care. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/after/economic_burden. Published March 2024. Accessed September 13, 2024.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health and economic benefits of colorectal cancer interventions. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/priorities/colorectal-cancer.html#:~:text=Colorectal%20cancer%20has%20the%20second,%240.6%20%20billion%20for%20prescription%20%20drugs. Accessed September 13, 2024.
5. Sawicki T, Ruszkowska M, Danielewicz A, et al. A review of colorectal cancer in terms of epidemiology, risk factors, development, symptoms and diagnosis. Cancers (Basel) 2021;13:2025.
6. Half E, Bercovich D, Rozen P. Familial adenomatous polyposis. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2009;4:22.
7. Li W, Zhao T, Wu D, et al. Colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis: mechanisms, surveillance and chemoprevention. Curr Oncol 2022;29:6091-6114.
8. Fabregas JC, Ramnaraign B, George TJ. Clinical updates for colon cancer care in 2022. Clin Colorectal Cancer 2022;21:198-203.
9. Rombouts AJM, Hugen N, Elferink MAG, et al. Increased risk for second primary rectal cancer after pelvic radiation therapy. Eur J Cancer 2020;124:142-151.
10. Zheng S, Schrijvers JJA, Greuter MJW, et al. Effectiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening on all-cause and CRC-specific mortality reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2023;15:1948.
11. Pankratz VS, Kanda D, Edwardson N, et al. Colorectal cancer survival trends in the United States from 1992 to 2018 differ among persons from five racial and ethnic groups according to stage at diagnosis: a SEER-based study. Cancer Control 2022;29:10732748221136440.
12. Brenner H, Stock C, Hoffmeister M. Effect of screening sigmoidoscopy and screening colonoscopy on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. BMJ 2014;348:g2467.
13. Elmunzer BJ, Hayward RA, Schoenfeld PS, et al. Effect of flexible sigmoidoscopy-based screening on incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med 2012;9:e1001352.
14. Jodal HC, Helsingen LM, Anderson JC, et al. Colorectal cancer screening with faecal testing, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ Open 2019;9:e032773.
15. Ebner DW, Finney Rutten LJ, Miller-Wilson LA, et al. Trends in colorectal cancer screening from the National Health Interview Survey: analysis of the impact of different modalities on overall screening rates. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2024;17:275-280.
16. American Cancer Society/National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable. 80% in Every Community. https://nccrt.org/our-impact/80-in-every-community/. Accessed October 11, 2024.
17. National Cancer Institute/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State cancer profiles. https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/risk/index.php?stateFIPS=00&topic=colorec&risk=%20v14&race=00&sex=0&type=risk&sortVariableName=percent&sortOrder=desc#results. Accessed October 9, 2024.
18. Sepassi A, Li M, Zell JA, et al. Rural-urban disparities in colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Oncologist 2024;29:e431-e446.
19. Blumenthal DR, David C. The fastest-growing U.S. states have the worst health care. https://hbr.org/2021/06/the-fastest-growing-u-s-states-have-the-worst-health-care. Published 2021. Accessed September 23, 2024.
20. Ahmed AM, Bacchus MW, Beal SG, et al. Colorectal cancer screening completion by patients due or overdue for screening after reminders: a retrospective study. BMC Cancer 2023;23:391.
21. Menon G, Recio-Boiles A, Lotfollahzadeh S, et al. Colon cancer. In: StatPearls. NBCI Bookshelf version. StatPearls Publishing: 2024. Accessed October 9, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470380/.
22. US Preventive Services Task Force. Colorectal cancer: screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening. Published May 18, 2021. Accessed August 29, 2024.
23. Kościelniak-Merak B, Radosavljević B, Zając A, et al. Faecal occult blood point-of-care tests. J Gastrointest Cancer 2018;49:402-405.
24. Schootman M, Toor A, Cavazos-Rehg P, et al. The utility of Google Trends data to examine interest in cancer screening. BMJ Open 2015;5:e006678.
25. Rawl SM, Menon U, Burness A, et al. Interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening: an integrative review. Nurs Outlook 2012;60:172-181.e13.
26. Leach KM, Granzow ME, Popalis ML, et al. Promoting colorectal cancer screening: a scoping review of screening interventions and resources. Prev Med 2021;147:106517.
