title: Screening practice and misplaced priorities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate cancer screening coverage among a large sample of Greek individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  7012 adults from 30 Hellenic areas were surveyed. Tests included: faecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy,chest X-ray, urine test, testicular examination,trans-rectal ultrasound, full blood count, skin examination,digital rectal examination, PSA, Pap test, mammography,clinical breast examination (CBE), self breast examination and breast ultrasound.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-eight percent of males and 93% of females declared being interested in cancer screening; 37.8% of men and 37.9% of women had had a medical consultation for screening purpose in the previous 2 years. Less than 2%reported having received screening for colorectal cancer or skin malignancies. Screening for cervical cancer, mammography and CBE was reported by 39.6%, 22.8% and 27.9% of females respectively. Twenty percent of males reported screening for prostate cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The actual opportunistic screening approach presents important deficiencies with displaced priorities in test performance and a low proportion of individuals undergoing recommended tests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, General Hospital of Lamia, Lamia, Greece. pacmer_science@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mauri
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valachis
authors.forename: Nikolaos P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Polyzos
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cortinovis
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karampoiki
authors.forename: Evridiki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Loukidou
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alevizaki
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamposioras
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kouris
authors.forename: Parthenopi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alexandropoulou
authors.forename: Lamprini
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tsali
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Panou
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stamatelopoulos
authors.forename: Velisarios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lakiotis
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulou
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terzoudi
authors.forename: Aliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ioakimidou
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karathanasi
authors.forename: Magdalini
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bristianou
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Casazza
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010358:Patient Participation; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis