Colorectal Cancer: Knowledge and Risk Factors among Adults in a Suburban Nigerian Community

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the major health problems in the world. It used to be thought that it is a disease of people in developed countries, but recent studies has shown increasing incidence in developing countries. In Nigeria most patients present late in Duke stage 3 or 4 when curative resection is impossible.To achieve higher success, improvement of knowledge and awareness not only for early symptoms but also for early detection methods and screening tools should be an important part of this strategy. Aim: To determine the knowledge of adults about the symptoms and screening methods for colorectal cancer as well as determine the prevalence of risk factors for colorectal cancer among adults in Ogbomoso North Local government Area. Methodology:This study shall be a descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample size of 600 using a pretested semi strutured interview administered questionnaire. Statistical Package for social sciences(SPSS) Version 17 shall be used for analysis. Conclusion: Colorectal cancer is a condition that could be fatal with late presentation and mostly when clinical features manifest, they do with complications. Routine screening should be a priority to prevent late presentations and its complications which this study is geared to explore.