Also known as colorectal cancer, for Canadians, it's the third most-common type of cancer. It accounts for 11 per cent of all of the country’s annual cancer deaths.
“There are often no symptoms in the early stages, but if it is picked up early the outcomes with treatment are much better than if the diagnosis is delayed,” said Dr. Paul Mullins, Northern Health’s medical lead for colon screening. In Canada, 93 per cent of colon cancers are in people aged 50 or older. Men have a one in 14 chance of getting it in their lifetime and it’s one in 18 chance for women.Age, family history, inactivity/obesity, smoking/alcohol use, a diet rich in red and processed meat raise the risk factor. People with colorectal polyps or who have had inflammatory bowel disease are also more at risk.
Mullins advises people to consult their family physician or other primary care provider to arrange for colorectal cancer screening. Patients will receive a fecal immunochemical test kit to collect a stool sample and return it to the lab, which tests for the presence of blood, an early cancer sign.