Publication Date

2004

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Dr. Donna Blackburn (Director); Dr. Patricia Bailey; Dr. Thomas Nicholson

Degree Program

School of Nursing

Degree Type

Master of Science in Nursing

Abstract

COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING: A NON-INVASIVE APPROACH Amy Frazier May, 2004 58 Pages Directed by: Dr. Donna Blackburn, Dr. Patricia Bailey, and Dr. Thomas Nicholson Department of Nursing Western Kentucky University Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant neoplasm worldwide and is expected to affect six percent of Americans within their lifetime (National Cancer Institute, 2003). Clinicians worldwide struggle with selecting the most accurate, cost-effective CRC screening tool. Could a noninvasive screening tool be the answer or part of the answer to the dilemmas surrounding CRC screening? The purpose of this correlational, replication study was to determine whether symptoms such as rectal bleeding, change in bowel habit, and weight loss are associated with symptomatic colorectal cancer using a sample of individuals scheduled for a routine colonoscopy. This study can be considered a pilot study since it has never been replicated in the United States (U.S). Data obtained from 47 Bowel Symptom Assessment Questionnaires (BSAQs) given to patients undergoing routine colonoscopy at Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green, Kentucky were analyzed to address the research objectives of the study. None of the patients had colorectal cancer, but 15 of the 47 patients had polyps. None of the symptoms showed a significant correlation with polyps according to chi-square analysis. T-tests of the means of the polyp group versus the no polyp group showed no difference between the population means for each of the examined variables. Selva scores generated from the BSAQ did not show a 8 significant relationship with the presence or absence of polyps. Additional findings, limitations, and implications for future research are discussed.

Disciplines

Nursing

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