To investigate the knowledge of colorectal cancer and willingness to receive colorectal cancer screening among outpatients, and to provide the basis for improving the current situation of CRC screening.

With random sampling, outpatients in a comprehensive hospital were analyzed by self- designed questionnaire about the information of colorectal cancer. χ² test analysis were used by SPSS 20.0.

Two hundred and sixteen outpatients were investigated, among which 96 outpatients (44.4%) had got better education than nine years of compulsory education, while 120 outpatients (55.5%) had got lower education. Outpatients with higher education, were 1.8 times as likely to have heard about colorectal cancer (83.3% vs 46.7%, P<0.01). Compared to the patients who had got better education, patients with lower education knew less about screening tests, fecal occult blood testing and flexible sigmoidoscopy (all P < 0.05). Compared to the patients who had got lower education, better educated patients believed that colorectal cancer is serious if found late and chances of survival are good to excellent if found early (75.0% vs 40.0%, P < 0.01). Patients with better education would more likely to use a fecal occult blood testing kit if their surgeon recommended it (79.2% vs 66.7%, P < 0.05).

Outpatients in Guangzhou were lack of knowledge about colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer screening, especially the patients with lower education. It is important to strengthen the health education of patients with lower education.