Inviting Ontarians to screen for cancer

Cancer Care Ontario expands correspondence program to include cervical cancer

TORONTO, Sept. 11, 2014 /CNW/ - Cancer Care Ontario is reaching out to men and women to encourage them to screen for breast, colorectal and for the first time, cervical cancer, with an expanded direct-mail correspondence campaign.

Previously, letters were used to invite and remind eligible Ontarians to get screened for breast and colorectal cancer. With the addition of cervical cancer screening letters, all three screening programs in Ontario are now sending letters directly to eligible men and women encouraging them to get checked.

"Through this campaign we want to reach all those people who have not been screened, remind them that screening for cancer is important and inform them that there are services available to them," says Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Vice-President, Prevention and Cancer Control at Cancer Care Ontario. "Not everyone sees their family doctor regularly, so not all Ontarians are having those important conversations about when it's time to screen for cancer."

Who is receiving letters:

• Women aged 50 to 74 will be sent a letter inviting them to get screened for breast cancer through the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP).
• Men and women aged 50 to 74 will be sent a letter inviting them to get screened for colorectal cancer through the ColonCancerCheck (CCC) program.
• Women aged 30 to 69 will be sent a letter inviting them to get screened for cervical cancer through the Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP).
• Letters will also be sent for all three screening programs notifying people of their test results and reminding them when it's time to return for screening.

"Including cervical cancer in the correspondence campaign is a major improvement for the OCSP and the health of women in Ontario," says Dr. Joan Murphy, Clinical Lead for the OCSP.  "Cervical screening is typically only needed every three years, so having reminder letters going out through the mail will help women stay on top of their health."

Sending letters through the mail is one way of increasing screening rates across the province. Regular cancer screening ensures that more cancers are caught earlier when there are more treatment options and a better chance of survival.

If you would like more information about this program, check out this infographic and video. If you have questions about a letter that you receive, please contact us at 1.866.662.9233.

Ontarians can also find out when they should start screening for cancer and encourage friends and family to get screened by visiting the Time to Screen Tool.

Cancer Care Ontario – an Ontario government agency – drives quality and continuous improvement in disease prevention and screening, the delivery of care and the patient experience, for cancer, chronic kidney disease and access to care for key health services. Known for its innovation and results-driven approaches, Cancer Care Ontario leads multi-year system planning, contracts for services with hospitals and providers, develops and deploys information systems, establishes guidelines and standards, and tracks performance targets to ensure system-wide improvements in cancer, chronic kidney disease and access to care.

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Image with caption: "Cancer Screening Saves Lives. (CNW Group/Cancer Care Ontario)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140911_C2177_PHOTO_EN_5516.jpg

SOURCE: Cancer Care Ontario

Tori Gass, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]