A national survey suggests that despite a high level of awareness about the benefit of being routinely screened for colorectal cancer, less than half of Canadians in the targeted age group of 50- plus are taking the test.

It was commissioned by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, polled 3,153 people between the ages of 45 to 74 regarding their understanding towards getting checked for colorectal cancer. It is also the next cause of death from cancer in both men and women.

95 percent of the people agreed that detecting colon cancer in the initial stages greatly improves the chances of survival and only 44 percent of respondents overall said that they were up-to-date with the screening.

The national guidelines suggest that people who are between the ages of 50-74 should get a stool test at least every two years. The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and fecal immunochemical test
(FIT) involve sending a tiny sample of stool in a special kit to a medical laboratory.

Dr. Heather Bryant, the organization's vice-president for cancer control, “While the number of Canadians getting screened for colon cancer is on the rise, the survey demonstrates the majority of Canadians at risk are still not actually getting checked for colon cancer.”