4572 - Discovery and Diagnosis of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC) in the Real World: Final Results from a European Survey

Background

Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), a European digestive cancers patient organisation, planned and carried out an international survey on the Unmet Needs of Patients Living with mCRC. The aim was to better understand the challenges, needs, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of those living with mCRC in 15 European countries.

Methods

Nurses and clinicians together with DiCE partner organisations recruited patients to fill in the survey (online or paper). Data collected included information on demographics, the disease discovery, diagnosis and treatment and support received. Questions on discovery and diagnoses covered reasons for contacting physicians, symptoms experience, the lag time between first symptoms and seeking clinical help, and misdiagnosis. Single data entry from paper surveys was executed by DiCE. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results

883 surveys were collected and analyzed: Austria (8), Belgium (65), Cyprus (57), Hungary (103), Ireland (3), Italy (36), Germany (22), Netherlands (40), Norway (1), Poland (163), Portugal (24), Serbia (170), Spain (112), Turkey (26) and the UK (53). Item completion rates were high. Mean time with mCRC was 2yrs. Diagnosis was established at a routine visit for 20%; at visits due to CRC-related or non-CRC related symptoms (41% and 26%); or at emergency hospitalization (19%); with only 5% through screening. CRC symptom awareness was very low: on average only 28% of patients knew before what symptoms CRC may present. Although 39% of patients waited <1 month from observing symptoms, 31% waited 1–3 months, 12% waited 3–6 months and the rest even longer. Similar time distribution was observed for diagnosis. Misdiagnoses was indicated by 25%. Patient satisfaction was relatively high: 43% of patients were very satisfied with the process of establishing a diagnosis, with large variation across countries.

Conclusions

Awareness of patients with CRC is low, with few respondents recognising symptoms and seeking help without delay. Misdiagnosis levels are still high. Despite the existence of various screening in surveyed countries, awareness and compliance rates are low. The conditions of the discovery of mCRC need to be improved both on the patient awareness and the clinical side.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

EuropaColon / Digestive Cancers Europe.

Funding

Merck, BMS, Sandoz and Sirtex.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.