Feasibility of Brigade-Style, Multiphasic Cancer Screening in Rural Honduras

To evaluate the feasibility of brigade-style, multiphasic cancer screening in Honduras, exploring data from 3 screening events that each tested for multiple cancers on single occasions.

This series of 3 studies each used a single-arm, post-test-only design to explore the feasibility of implementing multiphasic, community-based cancer screening at the same rural location in 2013, 2016, and 2017. The 2013 event for women screened for 2 cancers (breast and cervix), and the 2016 event for women screened for 3 cancers (breast, cervix, and thyroid). The 2017 event for men screened for 5 cancers (skin, prostate, colorectal, oropharynx, and testes).

Totals of 473 and 401 women participated in the 2013 and 2016 events, respectively, and 301 men participated in the 2017 event. Staffing for each event varied from 33 to 44 people and relied primarily on in-country medical students and local community members. High rates (mean, 88%) of compliance with referral for follow-up testing at clinics and primary care facilities were observed after the screening events.

The multiphasic, community-based approach proved feasible for both women and men and resulted in high rates of compliance with follow-up testing. This approach appears highly replicable: it was conducted multiple times across the years with different screening targets, which could be further scaled elsewhere using the same technique.