More Islanders are participating in the PEI Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, leading to early detection, treatment and improving survival rates for Islanders diagnosed with colorectal cancer, says Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie.
“Regular cancer screening is important to keeping Islanders healthy,” said Minister Currie. “As minister, I am pleased to see that the PEI Colorectal Cancer Screening Program is making it easier for more and more Islanders to do so each year, providing better access and better care for everyone.”
Launched in the spring of 2011, the PEI Colorectal Cancer Screening Program is a coordinated cancer screening program available to Island residents between the ages of 50 and 74 with an average risk of colorectal cancer. The screening process uses an at-home test known as the FIT Kit (Fecal Immunochemical Test Kit). In 2011, approximately 2,875 Islanders participated in the provincial colorectal cancer screening program. In 2012, just over 4,100 Islanders participated. It is recommended that screening using a FIT Kit be done every two years.
“Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in Prince Edward Island and is the second leading cause of cancer death, but it doesn’t have to be so,” says Marla Delany, Coordinator of the PEI Colorectal Cancer Screening Program for Health PEI. “We are pleased to see more and more Islanders participating in regular screening and having conversations with their family physician about the importance of getting screened and when to get screened. The FIT Kit at-home screening test can help detect polyps or growths in the colon before they become cancerous which is important in our fight against cancer.”
The FIT Kit screening process is easy and free of charge:
• No appointment is required, so having a family doctor is not necessary.
• FIT Kits can either be picked up at your community health centre or mailed to your home by calling the program toll-free number.
• Stool samples are collected at home, carefully following the easy instructions, returning the kit to a community health centre or any hospital laboratory.
• A letter with your test results will be mailed to you.
• If you have a family physician, a copy of your test results are sent to them as well.
For more information, call the PEI Colorectal Cancer Screening Program toll free at 1-888-561-2233 or visit www.healthpei.ca/colorectal.