RTI uses cookies to offer you the best experience online. By clicking “accept” on this website, you opt in and you agree to the use of cookies. If you would like to know more about how RTI uses cookies and how to manage them please view our Privacy Policy here. You can “opt out” or change your mind by visiting: http://optout.aboutads.info/. Click “accept” to agree.
Delivering colorectal cancer screening integrated with primary health care services in Morocco
Lessons learned from a demonstration project
Selmouni, F., Amrani, L., Sauvaget, C., Bakkar, M., El Khannoussi, B., Souadka, A., Benkabbou, A., Majbar, M. A., Belekhel, L., Lucas, E., Muwonge, R., Chami Khazraji, Y., Mohsine, R., Bennani, M., Sankaranarayanan, R., Bekkali, R., & Basu, P. (2022). Delivering colorectal cancer screening integrated with primary health care services in Morocco: Lessons learned from a demonstration project. Cancer, 128(6), 1219-1229. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34061
BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates are increasing rapidly in many low-income and middle-income countries. A demonstration project was implemented in Morocco in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and challenges of implementing CRC screening through routine primary care facilities.
METHODS: The objective of the project was to screen 10,000 men and women aged 50 to 75 years through 10 primary health centers (PHCs) in 2 provinces. All eligible men and women attending the selected PHCs were offered the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Stool specimens brought to the PHCs were tested immediately by trained nurses. FIT-positive individuals were referred to the National Oncology Institute for colonoscopy.
RESULTS: In total, 9763 eligible men and women were screened by FIT between June 2017 and May 2019; most (73.3%) were women. The test was positive in 460 participants (4.7%). Among the individuals who had positive FIT results, 62.6% underwent colonoscopy. The main reasons for noncompliance to colonoscopy were competing life priorities (15.4%), other health problems (13%), and fear of getting a cancer diagnosis (12.3%). As the number of referrals to colonoscopy increased, the waiting time for the procedure increased, resulting in a drop in compliance. The detection rates of advanced adenomas and CRC were 4.0 in 1000 and 0.5 in 1000 individuals screened, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: An effective strategy to reach the target populations (especially men), a pragmatic assessment of the health system's capacity to deal with large numbers of referrals, and a formal cost-effectiveness analysis are essential before making any decision to introduce CRC screening in Morocco.