Giant colon promotes screening for cancer

What better way to learn about colorectal cancer than to get up front and personal with a colon.

On February 24 and 25, the Giant Colon was on display at the New Sudbury Shopping Centre to promote awareness about colon cancer. The 40-foot-long, eight-foot-high inflatable is designed to educate people about the importance of early colorectal cancer screening.

In 2009, an estimated 8,100 Ontarians were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 3,300 died from it, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It is the second deadliest cancer in Canada and  Ontario is leading the way with one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world. However, if caught early enough through screening, it is 90 per cent curable.

The Ontario government is investing $193.5 million over a five-year period to implement and expand a colorectal screening program to provide opportunities for early detection for people aged 50 years and older, or for those who may be more susceptible if they have a family history of the disease.

Health Unit representatives, City of Greater Sudbury deputy mayor, councillor and cancer survivor Claude Berthiaume, and Dr. Amanda Hey, regional primary care lead with the Northeastern Regional Cancer Program, participated in the launch of the colon exhibit.

Hey said colorectal cancer has been overlooked in the public eye and only now are people becoming more aware of what can be done to screen for it.

Fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) are the main tool used for screening and can be ordered by a family physician. The FOBT is a simple stool sample kit that can be used at home in order to detect blood in the stool. If the result is positive, the patient is referred for a colonscopy, an examination of the lining of the rectum and colon using a long flexible tube with a camera on the end.

The target is to increase screening to 40 per cent by 2012.

The Giant Colon "is a very imaginative and useful way to heighten awareness around colorectal cancer and the importance of screening," said Hey. 


www.ColonCancerCheck.ca