Assessment of family history of colorectal cancer in primary care: perceptions of first degree relatives of people with colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: First degree relatives (FDRs) of someone with colorectal cancer (CRC) are at increased risk of the disease. In this study we examine the factors associated with discussing family history of CRC with a health professional.

METHODS: People with CRC, recruited through the population-based Victorian Cancer Registry in Australia, were asked to refer FDRs to the study. Eight hundred and nineteen FDRs completed a telephone interview.

RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of FDRs recalled ever being asked about their family history of bowel cancer by a health professional. Factors associated with having this discussion were being aged 50-60 years, having a university education, being in the potentially high risk category, being very worried about getting bowel cancer and knowing that family history increases risk through discussions with family, friends or their own education.

CONCLUSION: Despite evidence that doctor endorsement is a key factor in the uptake of CRC screening, our study shows that the majority of FDRs do not recall being asked by a health professional about their family history.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: There is a need to identify the most appropriate method to improve rates of health professional discussion of family history with relatives of CRC patients in order to improve screening rates.