A new campaign by Cancer Care Ontario is calling eligible men and women to get screened. The government agency will send a letter in the mail to target age groups, urging them to get tested for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer. Vice president Linda Rabeneck says the purpose is to increase participation rates across the province. “Participation rates differ for the three cancers,” Rabeneck says. “Breast cancer, for example, about 65-to-66 per cent of women in the target age group are getting screened and we’re looking to make an impact to reduce that portion of women who are not up to date.” Rabeneck says cervical cancer participation rates are higher than breast cancer, while colorectal participation is about 30 per cent. She adds the goal is to close the gap by 10 per cent, by reaching people who haven’t yet been screened, and reminding those who have of the importance. “If they’ve had a negative screening test, we’re sending letters and recalling them to screening at the right interval,” says Rabeneck. “So there’s a participation letter, a recall letter and a results letter, and we’re sending results letters to women informing them of their Pap test results.” Rabeneck adds direct-mail is one way of increasing screening rates across the province. (File photo)
