In a bid to tackle the second biggest cancer killer, the Ontario government will spend $200 million on a screening program for colorectal cancer.
The program will be a Canadian first that will include a two-pronged plan to target people over the age of 50.
Health Minister George Smitherman said the five-year screening program for residents aged 50 to 74 could save thousands of lives.
Starting next year, Ontarians will be able to pick up home screening kits from their family doctors or pharmacists. Those found to have abnormal results would be given priority for a colonoscopy.
While colorectal cancer is the second-deadliest form of cancer, after lung cancer, 90 per cent of people can be successfully treated if the disease is caught in its earliest stage.
The Ministry of Health estimates only 20 per cent of Ontarians over age 50 have been screened for colorectal cancer.
Barry D. Stein, president of the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada (CCAC), praised the initiative.
"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," Stein said in a press release.
In 2006, some 20,000 Canadians were estimated to have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 8,500 were estimated to have died, according to figures by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Screening can cut death rates significantly.
"The success of the program will largely depend on the ability to recruit patients to participate in the screening program as well as eventual improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of the test employed in the program," said Stein.
"An important element will also be patient information and education so that the population is well aware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer and the benefits of screening."
Alberta is expected to have a similar program up and running this year while British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec are considering the initiative.
"The CCAC has been working hard across the whole country to motivate our governments to introduce colorectal cancer screening and sensitize the public to the benefits of it. We will of course continue to do so and we are hopeful that this program will inspire other provinces to bring into place similar programs," said Stein.
He said the program will not only save lives but will also prove economically beneficial in the long run because of the high cost of treatment if the cancer develops unchecked for a long period of time.
With files from The Canadian Press
