The Prevalence of Colorectal Cancer Screening in South Asia

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Asia. Early diagnosis and early treatment pave the way for a better disease outcome. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify the prevalence of CRC screening in Asia, so that the burden of this disease may be determined. Methodology: In this systematic review, we conducted an extensive search on PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar in August 2022. We used a combination of keywords such as colorectal cancer, names of all Asian countries, screening, and diagnosing for our search. We limited our search to studies conducted in the English language only spanning over the last ten years. Results: We were able to select eight articles in total to include in our review. The highest prevalence rate reported was 59% while the lowest was only 2.6%.. Conclusion: Overall prevalence of CRC screening is very low in South Asia. There is a need for more awareness programs by the governments, our healthcare departments, and different for-profit and non-profit healthcare organizations to increase the knowledge of the masses so that they can take part in regular screening. This will ensure that the disease is diagnosed at its early stages and its complications will be minimized.