Timely colonoscopies help provide early detection of serious conditions

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

Colonoscopy is best known for its use as a screening tool for the early detection of colorectal cancer.¹

- The National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) reports that CRC is the third most common type of cancer and the second most common cause
of death from cancer for both Canadian men and women.²

- CRC is a highly treatable cancer if it is detected early and it is up to 95 per cent preventable with timely and thorough testing or "CRC screening" such as colonoscopy. Unfortunately as it stands today, nearly half of those diagnosed find out too late.²

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)*

Colonoscopy is also used to diagnose inflammatory diseases of the colon:

• Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis¹

- In 2008, it was reported that over 200,000 Canadians suffer from inflammatory bowel disease. IBD affects more people than multiple sclerosis or HIV and is almost as prevalent as epilepsy and Type 1 diabetes.³

* Consult your doctor or pharmacist prior to taking a bowel cleansing preparation if you have or suspect you may have IBD.

Other Conditions

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

- Five million Canadians suffer from IBS; 120,000 develop it each year.⁴

• Bloody Diarrhea

- Colonoscopy may also be used to find the location and cause of bloody diarrhea.¹