A new campaign in Canada is advocating an at-home cancer test that could catch colorectal cancer in its earliest stages and possibly save thousands of lives.
According to Reuters, the province of Ontario has one of the highest colorectal cancer rates in the world, and it is the second deadliest cancer in the province. About 40 percent of the 20,000 Ontarians diagnosed with colon cancer will die each year, said Dr. Philip Branton, scientific director of the Canadian Health Research Institute, in a release.
In the U.S. approximately 150,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, and 50,000 people will die, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Doctors say the cancer has a 90 percent cure rate when caught in the earliest stages. However, colorectal cancer is often asymptomatic in the earliest stages and, therefore, not caught in time.
In response to these statistics, the Ontario provincial government recently began promoting an at-home screening tool that tests for blood in the stool, an early and usually missed symptom of colorectal cancer.
A similar screening program introduced in parts of Great Briton has reduced the number of hospital admissions and deaths from the cancer by half within five years, according to the study in the journal Gut. In addition, a national screening program in Finland caught 40 percent of colorectal cancers early.
The fecal tests are self administered at home and involve testing a small stool sample on three different days. The tests are able to detect the presence of blood before it becomes visible to the naked eye. Doctors said, however, that blood in the stool is not just a symptom of colorectal cancer, and only 10 percent of those with a positive test actually have colorectal cancer.
Over the years, thorough analysis of benefits from blood screening of stools in asymptomatic persons has not proven to provide much benefit. When taken into cost/benefit, the benefit is even less impressive.
The test that has been found to lower death numbers from colo/rectal cancer is colonoscopy. It is rather expensive but can find tumors (polyps) in the colon and remove them before they become malignant. In addition, it separates people into the group who should have more frequent exams (those with any polyps) and those who need an exam only ever ten or so years.
You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')group by comment_item_id order by a desc limit 10' at line 1
You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')group by comment_item_id order by a desc limit 10' at line 1
You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')group by comment_item_id order by a desc limit 10' at line 1
The test that has been found to lower death numbers from colo/rectal cancer is colonoscopy. It is rather expensive but can find tumors (polyps) in the colon and remove them before they become malignant. In addition, it separates people into the group who should have more frequent exams (those with any polyps) and those who need an exam only ever ten or so years.