Rebuttal: Should Canadians be offered systematic screening for colorectal cancer?

Modern medicine and ongoing research have demonstrated to us time and time again that what we believed was correct in the past is no longer valid. New evidence brought to us by current research enables us to change our practice accordingly to provide patients with updated medical therapies and advice.

We all agree that colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality cannot be ignored in the developed country such as Canada. CRC is not only treatable in early stages, but is also preventable with different screening strategies e.g. fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), colonoscopy, etc. It is true that screening has potential harms and costs, but these will continue to improve following implementation.

Can we deny screening for CRC in our society using arguments from 40 years ago? I do not believe that it is possible. I discuss risks and benefits of different screening approaches with my patients and initiate discussions about colorectal cancer screening to increase awareness of this preventable cancer.

I think we don't do enough for colorectal cancer screening compare to other developed countries and we continue to rely on less expensive approaches (i.e. FOBT) that may not be as reliable as colonoscopy.