Colorectal cancer is ranked second in the list of ‘deadliest’ cancers, which is a wake up call to evolve superior detection procedures to diagnose the disease in the early stage. The Ontario government is investing a whopping $200 Million on a screening program for colorectal cancer. This plan will adopt two crucial approaches, targeting men above fifty years of age.
The envisaged five year screening program for men aged 50 to 74, promises to save many lives. The plan, slated to take-off in the beginning of 2008, will enable Ontarians to buy ‘home screening kits’ from their family physicians or pharmacists. Depending on the results of the self-screening tests, patients who portray abnormal results will be given priority for colonoscopy. It has come to light that 90 per cent of cancer patients can realize positive outcomes, if the disease is detected in the initial stage.Barry D. Stein, president of the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada (CCAC), praising the plan said, “We are very pleased that Ontario is adopting a population based colorectal cancer screening program. We are confident that combined with primary prevention this program will demonstrate a decrease in the mortality from colorectal cancer."
Source-Medindia
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