The provincial government is kicking off a new program encouraging Nova Scotians to mail in their stool samples to save lives. The new Colon Cancer Prevention Program aims to get people between 50 and 74 regularly tested for colon cancer.
The test involves sending out kits that people can use in the privacy of their home to collect stool samples. Those can then be mailed back to the government where it will be tested for blood.
The Department of Health hopes people will do the test every two years.
“Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in Nova Scotia,” Health Minister Karen Casey said in a release. “Each year, about 800 men and women are diagnosed with colon cancer, and almost half of them will die.”
The program is being phased in over two years.
