ABSTRACT
Colon cancer ranks as one of the most incidental and death malignancies worldwide representing 9% of all new cancer casesworldwide and affecting more than 1 million people every year. Colon cancer is the best-understood tumor from a geneticperspective. In Saudi Arabia, CRC is the second most prevalent kind of cancer, which has been ranked as the first among men(10.6%) and the third among women (8.9%). In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a mortality rate ofCRC in Saudi Arabia as 8.3%. Colon cancer screening has proven to be beneficial in terms of occurrence and reduction ofmortality in randomized controlled trials, and it has been recommended by medical organizations either in vulnerable groupsor in populations at risk because of their family background. Although population-based CRC screening has been suggestedemphatically in the average-risk population, compliance rates have not reached to the desirable rates, yet. In order toaccomplish the screening campaign successfully, the target population should be very compliant. There are various factorswhich affect the colorectal cancer screening uptake, including 'sociodemographic', provider and health care system factors,and also psychosocial factors. For increasing the screening participation rate, the target population should be aware of thebenefits of colorectal cancer screening. Information about this disease and the ways to prevent it, has been considered as ameasure of public awareness in several studies. In some examinations, a positive relationship has been found betweenknowledge about colorectal cancer, risk perception, and attitudes (advantages and disadvantages of screening) and thepopulation’s inclination to take part in the colorectal cancer screening campaign. The factors listed are therefore subject tointerference. In fact, intervention studies focusing on the average population have attempted to increase the risk of colorectalcancer absorption by improving general knowledge and adjusting attitudes. In this paper, the factors that influence thetargeting participants’ adherence to colorectal cancer screening and interventions in order to increase screening uptake, havebeen reviewed.