Knowledge and Awareness of Cancer Screening Among the Public in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Cancer screening tests discover cancer at early stages, even before symptoms appear. When abnormal tissues or a malignant mass are found early, treatment and cure rates are improved. In later stages, cancer may have grown and metastasized. This study aims to assess knowledge and awareness of cancer screening in Saudi Arabia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population of Saudi Arabia, with a sample of 451 participants. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey addressing sociodemographic information and awareness levels regarding cancer screening. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2018; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), with categorical variables expressed as frequencies and percentages, and numerical data presented as means and standard deviations. The Chi-square test was used to assess correlations, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results This study included a total of 451 participants. The most common age group was 18-29 years (n = 373, 82.7%). Males constituted a slightly higher proportion than females (n = 246, 54.5% vs. n = 205, 45.4%). The majority of participants (n = 369, 81.8%) knew that tests exist for various types of cancer and tumors. Additionally, 426 participants (94.5%) agreed that early detection of cancer helps in its treatment, and 311 (69%) agreed that early detection improves treatment outcomes. Regarding awareness of cancers that can be screened for, breast cancer was the most commonly identified (n = 424, 94%), followed by prostate cancer (n = 271, 60.1%) and colon cancer (n = 270, 59.9%). The prevalence of screening was extremely limited, with only 3.5% (n = 16) having undergone colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy and 4.9% (n = 22) having undergone other forms of colorectal testing. Analysis of the association between participants' sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge of cancer screening tests revealed significant associations between gender, educational level, and employment status and general knowledge and awareness of cancer screening (p < 0.05). Females were more knowledgeable than males (p < 0.001). Similarly, respondents with higher educational levels and students demonstrated higher knowledge levels than other respondents (p = 0.003 and p = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions Awareness of cancer tests and the benefits of early detection was high, particularly for breast, prostate, and colon cancer, yet actual screening rates remained very low. Knowledge was significantly associated with gender, education, and employment status. However, the study is limited by a significant youth bias, as over 80% of participants were aged 18-29, which may affect the generalizability of the findings to older populations who are at higher risk for cancer.