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 All
men and women over the age of 50 should talk to their
healthcare provider about colorectal cancer screening.
This disease is 90 per cent curable if found early.
To screen for colorectal cancer, your healthcare provider
may suggest you complete a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)
kit at home. Here you collect very small samples of stool
and return the kit to your healthcare provider, who will send
it in for testing. If the test result is negative, then it
did not detect any problems. If the test result is positive,
your healthcare provider may order further tests, such as
a colonoscopy, to search for pre-cancerous polyps (growths)
inside the colon.
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Risk factors for colorectal cancer include:
- Being 50 years of age or older
- Having colorectal polyps, ulcerative colitis or
Crohn's disease
- Having a family history of colorectal cancer
- Tobacco use
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Warning signs:
Colorectal cancer usually has no symptoms in its early
stages, when the disease is most treatable, which is
why regular screening is important. Symptoms of colorectal
cancer can include:
- Rectal bleeding
- Blood in the stool
- Change in bowel habits
- Alternating diarrhea and constipation
- Persistent abdominal bloating, feelings of fullness,
and cramps
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Information
for Patients: Direct Referral to Screening Colonoscopy
New Colorectal Cancer Screening Program
 The
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, in collaboration with
Cancer Care Ontario, recently launched a province-wide, population-based
colorectal cancer screening program – the first of its
kind in Canada. The program, ColonCancerCheck, aims to increase
screening rates and decrease colorectal cancer-related deaths
in Ontario.
For more information about colorectal cancer and how to get
tested, visit the ColonCancerCheck
website.
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