Nonmedical Costs of CRC Screening

When patients undergo colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests, they can incur a wide range of nonmedical costs, including travel expenses, travel time, time spent receiving care, and time off from work for both patient and caregiver. How do these costs differ between colonoscopy and fecal occult blood testing (FOBT)?

To find out, researchers surveyed 1327 patients undergoing CRC screening at six testing centers in Calgary, Alberta; 604 of the patients were screened by FOBT and 723 by colonoscopy. Researchers estimated nonmedical costs to be C$308.00 for colonoscopy and $36.00 for FOBT. People undergoing colonoscopy incurred an additional out-of-pocket expense of $17.10 for bowel preparation.