Working Closely with Family Doctors in Ontario to Support Their Cancer Screening Efforts

Our response to a recent article in the Toronto Star regarding low colorectal cancer screening rates in Ontario.

Re: Too many Ontarians overdue for colon cancer screening: report

Cancer Care Ontario applauds Health Quality Ontario for its commitment to sharing annual cancer screening data with family doctors.

One of our goals is to increase screening rates and reduce the number of deaths from colorectal cancer. We work closely with family doctors to support their cancer screening efforts through the development of resources such as the electronic Screening Activity Report (SAR).

The SAR gives doctors a visual overview of their patients’ cancer screening status, test results and follow-up procedure dates. The SAR also provides comparisons of screening rates to peers in the same Local Health Integration Network, which allows for ongoing evaluation and measurement.

Increasing colorectal cancer screening rates is critical as someone with colorectal cancer has a 90% chance of being cured if the cancer is caught early.

Suzanne Strasberg, MD, CCFP
Provincial Primary Care Lead
Cancer Care Ontario