Assessing Drivers and Barriers to Follow-Up Screening for Anal Cancer in Men Who Have Sex With Men
This study is designed to identify barriers that prevent men who have sex with men from receiving doctor-recommended annual follow-up screenings for anal cancer. Men who are at the highest risk for developing anal cancer will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire (either via telephone or in writing). The questionnaire is designed to identify potential barriers to care-seeking behavior including, relationship status, financial constraints, highest level of education and knowledge about anal cancer and its precursors. The men who agree to participate in the study will then be organized into groups based on their history of coming in for follow-up screening visits after learning that they are at higher risk for developing anal cancer. These groups include 1) men that have come in for regular screening visits (at least once per year), 2) men who came in once and were then lost to follow-up, 3) men who came in for more than one screening visit and were then lost to follow-up, and 4) men who were previously lost to follow-up and then began coming in for screening again. By comparing the men's responses across the different groups, we hope to uncover key barriers and drivers to follow-up screenings for anal cancer.
The goal of this study is to evaluate the differences in questionnaire responses across cohorts that may impact care-seeking behavior.
We hypothesize that:
- Patients who regularly comply with annual follow-up screening visits score higher on questions assessing knowledge of HPV and anal cancer.
- Men in stable relationships are more likely to comply with annual screening visit recommendations.
- Men who are educated by their primary care physicians about the importance of anal cancer screenings have higher screening rates.