ColonCheck Manitoba

CancerCare Manitoba, with funding from Manitoba Health, established the Manitoba Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in April 2007. This screening program became ColonCheck Manitoba in August 2009.  The goal of the program is to help detect colorectal cancer early and reduce the number of Manitobans who die from the disease. The population-based program targets individuals of average risk between the ages of 50 & 74 for screening with a Fecal Occult Blood test (FOBT). In the first two years of the program, 25 000 individuals were invited to participate in the program. In September 2008, Manitoba Health announced additional funding to expand the program provincewide. Over the next few years, ColonCheck Manitoba will be inviting eligible people from all regions of the province.

The role of the primary health care provider in recommending colorectal screening using a FOBT is essential in improving screening rates and reducing deaths from colorectal cancer in Manitoba. Please continue to screen your patients using the FOBT or additional tests as necessary.

The website addresses to access the National Committee on Colorectal Cancer Screening Report and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Guideline have changed since the Fact Sheet for Health Professionals was created (see links listed in "For more information on colorectal cancer and national screening guidelines" for current links).

For more information or to request a copy of these documents, call 788-8635 or 1-866-744-8961

For more information on ColonCheck Manitoba download:

• Background Document (PDF)

For information on fecal occult blood tests visit:

• Diagnostic Accuracy and Cost-Effectiveness of Faecal Occult Blood Tests Used in Screening for Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review
• Choice of fecal occult blood tests for colorectal cancer screening: recommendations based on performance characteristics in population studies.

For more information on colorectal cancer and national screening guidelines, please visit:

• The National Committee on Colorectal Cancer Screening
• The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care
• The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Guidelines on Colon Cancer Screening