Despite being highly preventable and treatable if diagnosed early, colorectal cancer
(CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Europe. Limited
information is available from the patient perspective on the persisting unmet needs
of the journey of the patient with CRC.To capture European metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients'
insights during the patient journey (prediagnosis; diagnosis; postdiagnosis) through
a patient survey.In total, 883 patients from 15 European countries participated. Participants
were divided into four groups from Hungary, Poland, Serbia and 'other European countries'
(n=103, 163, 170 and 447 patients, respectively).General awareness of CRC and its
symptoms prediagnosis varied among groups, with patients from Poland recording the
lowest levels. Screening practices and attitudes also varied; while more patients
from Serbia had been invited to CRC screening (~15%) compared with the other groups,
the ones not invited claimed mostly (~20%) that would not have attended if they had
been invited. Whereas most patients were diagnosed within a month after the first
consultation/positive screening, the percentages varied substantially being lowest
among patients in Poland (~30%) and Serbia (~25%). Although CRC-related information
provision varied, with most informed patients from Hungary (~90%) and least from Serbia
(~50%), all groups requested an easier-to-understand language by the healthcare team.
Approximately 50% of patients from Eastern Europe had to wait longer than a month
to receive treatment, in contrast to ~30% from other European countries. All groups
emphasised the unmet need for support from psychologists and other patients.Our survey
reveals the key aspects of the journey of the patient with mCRC and highlights the
areas of similarities and differences between patients with mCRC from Eastern Europe
versus those from other European countries as well as among patients from different
Eastern European countries, calling for improvement particularly around awareness,
screening, treatment availability, communication and support networks.
