People as young as 45 should be invited to provincial and territorial programs to screen for colorectal cancer, the Canadian Cancer Society urged on Wednesday. The call follows a news conference Tuesday on Parliament Hill, where colorectal cancer advocates from across the country also urged that the screening age be lowered. Higher cancer rates in younger adults are an indicator that colorectal cancer screening needs to start earlier, said Brandon Purcell, advocacy manager of prevention and early detection at the Canadian Cancer Society in Ottawa. He says they often tell him that they, too, had symptoms of colorectal cancer, but had a hard time getting a cancer diagnosis. Lowering screening age overdue, doctor saysDr. Shady Ashamalla, who operates on young adult patients with colon and rectal cancers at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, says lowering the colorectal screening age is overdue.

Source: CBC News March 11, 2026 15:33 UTC