Clinical trial · Interventional
Impact of SMS Messaging on Participation in Colorectal Cancer Screening
Impact of SMS Notifications on the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of mortality in Catalonia. Although early detection programs using the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) are effective in reducing both incidence and mortality, their success relies on high population participation. Currently, in the Vallès Occidental region, the participation rate stands at 42%, which is below the 65% minimum recommended by European health authorities. The objective of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate whether sending a reminder text message (SMS) is an effective tool to increase participation in the screening program. The study will include 10,084 participants aged between 50 and 69 years. Half of the participants will receive a reminder SMS five weeks after their initial invitation, while the other half will follow the standard of care involving postal letters. Researchers anticipate that this strategy will not only increase the number of individuals undergoing screening but also shorten the response time and reduce the need for sending postal reminders
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal Neoplasms | Colorectal Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
| Early Detection of Cancer | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard invitation and postal reminder letters | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Text Messaging | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Control Group: Standard Care
- description
- Participants in this group follow the screening program's standard operating procedure. This consists of an initial invitation letter sent at week 0 and, in the event of non-participation, a postal reminder letter sent at week 6.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Standard invitation and postal reminder letters
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Intervention Group: SMS + Standard Care
- description
- Participants receive the initial invitation letter at week 0. If they have not participated by week 5, an SMS text message reminder is sent. If they remain non-participants following the SMS, they receive the standard postal reminder letter at week 6.
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Text Messaging
- Behavioral: Standard invitation and postal reminder letters
Primary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 50 Years
- Maximum age
- 69 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Women and men aged 50 to 69 years. * Residents of the Vallès Occidental area. * Individuals invited to the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program (PDPCCR) who have not participated within 5 weeks of the initial invitation. Exclusion Criteria: * Personal history of colorectal cancer. * Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) * Colorectal polyps requiring specific clinical follow-up. * Hereditary polyposis syndromes. * High-risk family history of colorectal cancer: a first-degree relative diagnosed before age 50, or two or more first-degree relatives at any age. * Severe morbidity that precludes the performance of a colonoscopy in the event of a positive test result.
References
Publications (9)
- BACKGROUNDHewitson P, Glasziou P, Irwig L, Towler B, Watson E. Screening for colorectal cancer using the faecal occult blood test, Hemoccult. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jan 24;2007(1):CD001216. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001216.pub2. PMID 17253456
- BACKGROUNDMandel JS, Church TR, Bond JH, Ederer F, Geisser MS, Mongin SJ, Snover DC, Schuman LM. The effect of fecal occult-blood screening on the incidence of colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2000 Nov 30;343(22):1603-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200011303432203. PMID 11096167
- BACKGROUNDShaukat A, Mongin SJ, Geisser MS, Lederle FA, Bond JH, Mandel JS, Church TR. Long-term mortality after screening for colorectal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2013 Sep 19;369(12):1106-14. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1300720. PMID 24047060
- BACKGROUNDSchliemann D, Tan MM, Hoe WMK, Mohan D, Taib NA, Donnelly M, Su TT. mHealth Interventions to Improve Cancer Screening and Early Detection: Scoping Review of Reviews. J Med Internet Res. 2022 Aug 15;24(8):e36316. doi: 10.2196/36316. PMID 35969450
- BACKGROUNDUy C, Lopez J, Trinh-Shevrin C, Kwon SC, Sherman SE, Liang PS. Text Messaging Interventions on Cancer Screening Rates: A Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res. 2017 Aug 24;19(8):e296. doi: 10.2196/jmir.7893. PMID 28838885
- BACKGROUNDCamilloni L, Ferroni E, Cendales BJ, Pezzarossi A, Furnari G, Borgia P, Guasticchi G, Giorgi Rossi P; Methods to increase participation Working Group. Methods to increase participation in organised screening programs: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2013 May 13;13:464. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-464. PMID 23663511
- BACKGROUNDVives N, Vidal C, de Guzman EN, Farre A, Panera JA, Binefa G, Garcia M; M-TICS research group. The use of text messages as an alternative invitation method for breast cancer screening: A randomized controlled trial (M-TICS study). PLoS One. 2024 Aug 29;19(8):e0306720. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306720. eCollection 2024.