University Health Network welcomes the Ontario Ministry of Health decision to lower the screening eligibility age for publicly funded colorectal cancer screening.
The province announced Thursday at UHN's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre it is lowering the age for all individuals to 45 from 50, and to 40 for those at increased risk, starting July 1.
Nearly half of Canadians — 42 per cent — will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and as the population ages, the number of Canadians diagnosed with cancer is rising.
Colorectal cancer has typically been seen in patients over 50, however diagnoses among younger Canadians are rising. It is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Ontario.
Confronted by this reality, there is a need for sustained, system-level approaches.
"Lowering the screening age for colorectal cancer to 45 is an evidence-based decision that will help detect pre-cancerous disease earlier and diagnose cancers when treatment is most effective," said Dr. Kevin Smith, President and CEO of UHN.
"This is an important step forward for improving outcomes for patients and families, and we commend the Ontario government's leadership in advancing prevention-focused care."
Beginning July 1, eligible people across Ontario between the ages 45 to 49 will receive letters from the ColonCancerCheck program to help them connect to an initial colorectal cancer screening test.
"This historic expansion will give more than one million additional people the option to connect to life-saving screening services to detect and treat colorectal cancer sooner," said the Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Minister of Health.
Colorectal cancer often diagnosed at advanced stages
Research shows that people born after 1980 are up to two‑and‑a‑half times more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer before the age of 50 when compared to previous generations.
"What we are seeing in practice is a real shift, with colorectal cancer increasingly affecting younger adults," said Dr. Sami Chadi, a surgeon and site lead of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, in a press release.
Early detection of the disease is essential to reduce the impact of treatment, ensure better survival rates and improve quality of life for patients.
But many patients are being diagnosed at advanced stages of cancer, meaning more intensive treatments with prolonged effects.
"The future of cancer care is prevention and early detection, before disease becomes more advanced or harder to treat," Dr. Chadi added.
UHN investing in early cancer detection
Earlier this year, the Peter Gilgan Centre for Early Cancer Detection and Prevention launched an ambitious, multidisciplinary initiative focused on identifying cancer earlier — or preventing it altogether.
The centre's work aims to diagnose cancer when interventions have the greatest clinical and societal impact.
Researchers at UHN are also
working to understand the underlying causes behind the rise of colorectal cancer in younger adults, examining the effect of sedentary lifestyles, environmental factors and more.
"We are proud to advance this work in close partnership with the Government of Ontario, whose leadership and collaboration are essential to transforming cancer outcomes at scale," said Dr. Smith.
