What is it about?
Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, but here's the good news: it's often preventable and highly treatable when caught early. The problem? Too many people don't know the warning signs or understand their risk—and even fewer get screened regularly. We wanted to understand why. So we asked over 13,000 people across nine countries—including Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and Nigeria—what they knew about colorectal cancer and what stops them from getting checked. What we found was eye-opening. Most people couldn't recognize key warning signs. Many believed they were safe simply because they felt healthy, had no symptoms, or had no family history of cancer. Fear and embarrassment also kept people away from screening. The bottom line: there's a serious gap in public awareness, and misconceptions are preventing people from accessing lifesaving early detection. Our research highlights where education efforts need to focus—and what fears and barriers we need to address—to help more people catch this disease early, when it's most treatable.
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Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash
Why is it important?
We identify the biggest gaps in public awareness of colorectal cancer and the main barriers preventing people from getting screened across nine countries. This is important for health officials and policymakers working to reduce cancer deaths through early detection. Two significant findings are that: a) only 31% of people have a good understanding of colorectal cancer symptoms and risk factors, and b) the most common barriers aren't practical ones (like cost or access)—they're misconceptions, like believing "no symptoms means no risk" (63%) or that a healthy lifestyle eliminates the need for screening (65%).
Perspectives
This article represents something special to me: proof that collaboration across borders works. Working with co-authors from nine different countries—many of whom I've never met face-to-face—was challenging at times, but ultimately deeply rewarding. We shared languages, cultures, and a common goal: to understand why so many people in our regions are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer too late. What I didn't expect was how this work would shape my own path. Since publishing, I've connected with researchers and health advocates from several of these countries who want to take these findings further. This study opened doors I hadn't anticipated—and reminded me that research, at its best, doesn't just sit on a page. It moves people to act.
Husam Abu Dawood
Palestine Polytechnic University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Public awareness of colorectal cancer symptoms and risk factors, and exploring screening barriers across nine countries: A multi-national cross-sectional study, PLOS Global Public Health, March 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0005986.
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