Colorectal cancer screening in Canada: 2021/2022
About this section
This section describes how provinces and territories correspond with individuals after colorectal screening, and how individuals are notified of their results and invited for follow-up with a diagnostic colonoscopy.
Diagnostic follow-up for colorectal screening
Most jurisdictions mail screening results to participants, while primary care providers receive results via fax or an online system. Five provinces and one territory send a recall reminder to participants every two years, with some programs sending a testing kit alongside the recall reminder.
Receiving results for normal colorectal screening test results
| P/T | PCP responsible for contacting participants to provide results | Results mailed to participant | PCP receives FIT results via fax/ online system | Other ways to receive normal results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YN | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NT | ✓ (opportunistic) | ✓ | Negative FIT results through the organized screening program receive a letter and phone call from the program directly | |
| NU | ✓ | |||
| BC | ✓ | |||
| AB | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| SK | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| MB | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| ON | ✓ | ✓ | ✓* | |
| QC | ✓ (opportunistic) | ✓ (program)^ | ||
| NB | ✓ | ✓ | PCP receives FIT results via mail | |
| NS | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| PE | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NL | ✓ |
ON: *Lab sends the FIT result to the PCP
QC: ^Once program established
Recall for screening after normal results
| P/T | Recall reminder and kit mailed together every 2 years | Recall reminder mailed out every 2 years or when participant is due | Requisition mailed out when participants are due | Patient questionnaire mailed | No formal recall (participant or PCP must initiate screening) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YT | ✓ | ||||
| NT | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| NU | |||||
| BC | ✓ | ||||
| AB | ✓ | ||||
| SK | ✓ | ||||
| MB | ✓ | ||||
| ON | ✓ | ||||
| QC | ✓ (program)* | ✓ (opportunistic) | |||
| NB | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| NS | ✓ | ||||
| PE | ✓ | ||||
| NL | ✓ |
QC: *Once program established.