Live Well: Preventive Screenings—Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of cancer that affects the colon or rectum. CRC screenings can help detect cancer in the early stages, when it may still be curable.

Certain groups of people are at a higher risk of CRC:

• Men
• Black adults
• Jews of Eastern European descent (Ashkenazi)
• Indigenous people
• People who have a family history of CRC
• People with obesity or diabetes

Current guidelines suggest that people from ages 50 to 74 get screened for CRC. If you have a family history of CRC, your healthcare provider may suggest that you begin testing earlier.

Colonoscopy is the most common way to diagnose colon cancer, but there are less invasive stool-based, at-home test kits that can detect issues as well. A fecal immunochemical test (the recommended colorectal cancer screening test for most people, also called FIT) is a safe and painless at-home cancer screening test. FIT checks your stool for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by colorectal cancer or some pre-cancerous polyps (abnormal growths in the colon or rectum that can turn into cancer over time). Cancer Care Ontario sends letters to eligible people who are due for this screening.

If your stool-based test is positive, discuss your results with your healthcare provider, who will likely order colonoscopy to complete the screening process.

There are a few things you can do to reduce your risk of developing CRC:3

• Diet: Eat a wide variety of colourful, high-fiber foods and limit processed meats.
• Exercise: Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
• Alcohol: Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Current guidelines suggest a maximum of two drinks per week to avoid increased cancer risk.
• Smoking: If you use tobacco, create a quit plan today.

Healthy lifestyle behaviours and early detection are two important tools to help prevent colorectal cancer.