Sarnia-Lambton residents are being reminded of the importance of getting regular cancer screenings.
Lambton Public Health Supervisor of Health Promotion Anita Trusler said getting checked could save your life.
"We know that here in Canada an estimated two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer sometime in their lifetime and one in four will actually die from cancer," said Trusler. "Regular cancer screenings will be able to detect that cancer at an earlier stage where treatments and prognosis will be much better. Early detection can save lives."
Trusler said they're promoting three types of cancer screenings.
Women aged 25 to 69 are encouraged to check for cervical cancer in the form of pap-tests, usually this is done every three years.
Trusler said breast cancer screening is available in the form of mammograms, offered to average risk women aged 50 to 74. There's also colorectal cancer screening which begins at the age of 50 and is done every two years.
"I know there's a lot of fear around it but the more you know about your own level of risk the better," she said. "It's obviously important to practice healthy lifestyle behaviours to lower your risk as well. Know your genetic history and make sure that your get those screening opportunities done so that if cancer is a risk for you, detection is made early."
These screenings were suspended across Canada from mid-March to June of 2020 which created a gap in coverage.
Because of these delays the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is deeply concerned that they will see cancer cases diagnosed or treated too late. The Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, published a report that found in Ontario, there was a 34 per cent drop in cancer diagnoses during the first waves of COVID-19 in 2020 compared to previous years.
Screenings can be booked through a healthcare provider or by calling Ontario Telehealth at 1 866-797-0000.
