Table 4.
Patients’ underlying reasons for decision on prostate cancer screening
| Intention to undergo screening | Underlying reason a | Total (n= 588) n (%) | Intervention (n= 588) n (%) | Control (n= 582) n (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | I will follow my physician’s advice | 58 (5.0) | 44 (7.6) | 14 (2.4) | <0.0001 |
| I have a family history of prostate cancer | 23 (2.0) | 11 (1.9) | 12 (2.0) | 0.85 | |
| I’m afraid of cancer | 95 (8.1) | 49 (8.4) | 46 (7.8) | 0.69 | |
| I believe prostate cancer screening can protect me from the disease | 372 (31.8) | 215 (36.9) | 157 (26.7) | 0.0001 | |
| I have other prostate conditions | 35 (3.0) | 21 (3.6) | 14 (2.4) | 0.21 | |
| I have a family history of cancer (aside from prostate cancer) | 16 (1.4) | 9 (1.5) | 7 (1.2) | 0.59 | |
| I wish to know about my health | 42 (3.6) | 20 (3.4) | 22 (3.7) | 0.79 | |
| Other reasons | 77 (6.6) | 38 (6.5) | 39 (6.6) | 0.95 | |
| No | I don’t think prostate cancer screening would benefit my health | 101 (8.6) | 21 (3.6) | 80 (13.6) | <0.0001 |
| I will follow my physician’s advice | 12 (1.0) | 7 (1.2) | 5 (0.9) | 0.55 | |
| I’m afraid of side effects | 16 (1.4) | 5 (0.9) | 15 (2.6) | 0.0005 | |
| I don’t want to know | 27 (2.3) | 17 (2.9) | 10 (1.7) | 0.16 | |
| No explanation | 14 (1.2) | 1 (0.2) | 7 (1.2) | 0.98 | |
| I don’t know | There is no consensus about prostate cancer screening | 11 (0.9) | 5 (0.9) | 6 (1.0) | 0.77 |
| I wish to have more information before I make my decision | 125 (10.7) | 55 (9.5) | 70 (11.9) | 0.17 | |
| I’m afraid of side effects | 8 (0.7) | 1 (0.2) | 7 (1.2) | 0.03 | |
| No explanation | 45 (3.8) | 23 (4.0) | 32 (5.4) | 0.002 |
Bold lines highlight significant differences in the proportion of patients eliciting the given reason.
a
A patient could give several reasons to explain his decision on prostate cancer screening.