Intention to have blood-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening among men and women aged 50-77 years from Black and Asian backgrounds: a cross-sectional survey in Great Britain.

INTRODUCTION

Uptake of cancer screening is lower among people from minority ethnic groups. We aimed to quantify intention and potential barriers and facilitators to uptake of blood-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) screening among men and women from Asian and Black ethnic backgrounds in Great Britain, if it were offered in the future.

METHODS

Adults aged 50-77 who self-identified as being from Asian (n=268) and Black (n=137) ethnic backgrounds completed an online survey assessing intention to have MCED screening and barriers/facilitators to uptake. We explored associations between socio-demographics/general attitudes to cancer and intention, and report endorsement of barriers and facilitators. We also compared intention and barriers/facilitators to a sample of men and women from White backgrounds who completed the same survey.

RESULTS

Most participants said they would 'definitely' or 'probably' have MCED screening if offered (88.3% among Black participants and 92.2% among Asian participants). Positive intention was associated with previous screening participation and general cancer attitudes but not with age, socioeconomic status or education. Compared with a sample of participants from White backgrounds, intention was slightly lower in those from Black backgrounds (94.3% vs 88.3%) and participants in the Asian and Black samples were significantly more likely to endorse practical barriers, perceived more disadvantages to blood tests and were more likely to be put off by concern about a 'positive' result. Those from Asian backgrounds also reported lower benefits of blood tests and lower health motivation than the White comparison group. Fear of the outcome was not significantly different across groups.

CONCLUSIONS

MCED screening intention was high with no evidence of socio-demographic variation. Some barriers and facilitators were more frequently anticipated among men and women from Black and Asian backgrounds compared with the White comparison sample. This research highlights important targets for information provision and support to help limit inequalities if blood-based MCED screening is introduced in the future.