B.C. survivors and health professionals urge testing during National Colon Cancer Awareness month
Doctors, patients and advocates are uniting for a reminder to older British Columbians to request a free colon cancer screening test – as we mark National Colon Cancer Awareness month.
The Fecal Immunochemical Test is recommended for people aged 50 to 74. According to BC Cancer, it looks for small amounts of blood in the stool, which can be a sign of cancer or precancerous growths.
"It’s one of the most common cancers diagnosed in British Columbia," says the medical director of the agency’s colon screening program, Dr. Jennifer Telford.
"One in six British Columbians will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer in their lifetime," she said.
The take-home tests are available for free from primary care providers. BC Cancer says the risk of colon cancer increases with age, with 80 per cent of cases being diagnosed in people over the age of 50.
If it’s caught in the earliest stage, the survival rate is more than 90 per cent.
"If I could take a look at a balance and weigh the ick factor of doing a simple home-based stool test versus going through years of treatment, possibly not surviving – I think it’s a pretty easy equation," said Barry Stein, Colorectal Cancer Canada’s president and CEO.
SELF-ADVOCATING
A Courtenay woman who was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2019 is also encouraging people who are eligible to follow up. Although, it didn’t help her.
Manna Wescott was diagnosed when she was 42-years-old before she was eligible for the routine screening – and after she had already been experiencing symptoms.
"Anemia, for example," she says. "I had blood in my stool."
Wescott wants others to learn the signs and symptoms so they can advocate for themselves.
"It’s all about self-advocacy and paying attention to all of the little details," said Wescott.
According to BC Cancer, signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer can also include pain in your lower abdomen or pelvis and a change in bowel habits, such as constipation or different size of stool.
"It took nine months from having some really acute symptoms to finally getting a colonoscopy and then being told on the spot that they knew I had cancer," said Wescott.
Three and a half years since her stage four diagnosis, she says she doesn’t have any evidence of disease. She’s under active monitoring every six months.
"We just hope for the best with every scan," she says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Mookie Betts leads Dodgers past Blue Jays 4-2; Toronto drops fifth consecutive game
Mookie Betts went 3 for 5, including a triple and an RBI single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Saturday.