On the heels of a recent report that shows testing for colon cancer among a targeted age group saves lives and health-care costs, B.C. New Democrats are again calling for a province-wide screening program.

“Experts have been calling for a screening program for years, and it is time for the government to take a serious look at this,” NDP health critic Adrian Dix said.

An estimated 22,500 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year and it will kill about 9,100. But if detected at its earliest stage, the chance of survival is more than 90 per cent, according to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada.

Health Minister Kevin Falcon said there’s “no question” the government will implement a province-wide colorectal cancer screening program.

A pilot project for a province-wide colon-cancer screening program, for men and women between 50 and 74, began in 2009 in Penticton and Powell River and is scheduled to wrap up in December. It involves the B.C. Cancer Agency sending out invitations to all people eligible for colon cancer screening.

“What we will learn from Powell River and Penticton is not whether we do it but how we will best do it,” Falcon said. The program must be based on sound evidence and be delivered in a clinically responsible manner.

Scrapping the pilot program and just “plunging in” as the NDP suggests, said Falcon, would not be responsible.

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal confirms previous research indicating that screening for colorectal cancer reduces health-care costs.

All three forms of testing reviewed by the study — low-sensitivity guiaic fecal occult blood testing, fecal immunochemical tests and colonoscopies — were shown to not only reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer and save lives, but also to offer value for money in the health care system.

Once B.C.’s pilot program concludes and all of the experts involved bring forth a recommendation, a decision will be made, Falcon said.

“If that takes a little bit longer to get it right, that’s OK,” Falcon said.

The government is looking at not only a cost-effective rollout but, more importantly, one that reaches the targeted population in the 50-74 age range, Falcon said.

Currently, about 37 per cent of people eligible for the test — which includes those between 50 and 74 and those with a direct family history of colon cancer — are being screened at cost of about $30 million each year, Falcon said. A province-wide rollout is hoped to catch the rest of that target group.

The hope is the lessons learned in Powell River and Penticton will help inform us to make sure we have a program that is the most effective possible program, Falcon said.

In 2007, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba all committed to screening programs after a Canadian Cancer Society report highlighted the need for such programs. Before that, the Provincial Health Services Authority and the B.C. Cancer Agency submitted a business plan to the government, setting out target dates and an implementation plan for a colorectal screening program across B.C.

“Unfortunately, British Columbia is far behind other provinces when it comes to testing for colorectal cancer,” said Dix.

“We have fallen far behind other provinces, and it is time for this government to take action,” said Dix, whose mother survived colon cancer.

B.C. has one of the best records for cancer outcomes in North America and is hopeful its colorectal cancer screening program, once implemented, will add to that reputation, Falcon said.

ceharnett@tc.canwest.com