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The following is a summary of “Assessing the Impact of Media Coverage of the NordICC Trial on Public Perspectives on Colonoscopy for Colorectal Cancer Screening,” published in the February 2025 issue of Gastroenterology by Sharabi et al. 

The Nordic-European Initiative on Colorectal Cancer (NordICC) trial showed that colonoscopy significantly reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality, but media coverage of intention-to-screen results, which showed no mortality change, may have caused public confusion about its benefits. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate whether media articles influenced public perception and intent to undergo colonoscopic screening. 

They recruited a US nationally representative sample of unscreened adults aged 45 to 75 years at average CRC risk. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to read either a low-quality or high-quality article on the NordICC, as rated by a panel of gastroenterologists. Before and after reading the article, participants indicated their intention to undergo colonoscopic screening for CRC. The primary outcome was a negative change in intent to undergo colonoscopic screening. 

The results showed that from 2013 participants who completed the survey, 1,531 (76.1%) planned to undergo colonoscopy or were undecided before reading the article. After reading the media report, 90 (12.0%) in the low-quality article group and 73 (9.3%) in the high-quality article group no longer planned to undergo colonoscopy; the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.08). 

Investigators concluded that a low-quality article about NordICC did not significantly alter attitudes towards colonoscopic CRC screening compared to a high-quality article. 

Source: journals.lww.com/jcge/abstract/9900/assessing_the_impact_of_media_coverage_of_the.415.aspx