Colon Cancer Screening

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum. The colon is also called the large intestine or large bowel. It is a hollow tube that is five to six feet long and is twisted within the abdomen. The rectum is the last six inches of the colon. The colon is a hardworking organ that helps our bodies take in water and remove waste.

Cancer in the colon or rectum can take up to 10 years or more to develop to an advanced stage. For this reason, it is very important to make regular screening for colorectal cancer a part of your routine health checks.

Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related disease and death in Ontario for both men and women. But when colon cancer is caught early, 9 out of 10 people with the disease can be cured.

Who Should Get Screened

People can be checked for colon cancer if they are:

average risk, defined as people ages 50 to 74 with no immediate relatives (parent, brother, sister or child) who have or have had colon cancer
increased risk, defined as people with a family history of colon cancer that includes one or more immediate relatives (parent, brother, sister or child)

People with average risk can get checked for colon cancer with an at-home test called the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). People with an increased risk can get checked with a colonoscopy.

Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)

The Fecal Immunochemical test (FIT) is the screening method for average risk people between the ages of 50 and 74, do not have a parent, sibling or child who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, and do not have signs or symptoms of colon cancer.

The FIT is a simple test that you can do in the privacy of your home and is the most widely available test for screening for colorectal cancer.

The at-home test (FIT):

only takes a few minutes to do
requires only one stool sample (poop)
can be done without switching your diet or stopping your medications
should be done every two years, as long as you’re eligible and are at average risk

OHIP pays for colon cancer screening with both the at-home test (FIT) and colonoscopy, so there is no cost to you. A healthcare provider must order an at-home test for you. To get an at-home test, reach out to your primary care provider.

Online Resources

Colon cancer testing and prevention (Ontario Ministry of Health)

Edited September 2024