On the initiative of Brussels Health Minister Alain Maron, the Joint Community Commission (Cocom) is launching a campaign to raise awareness of colon cancer – the second deadliest cancer in Belgium.
From 12 to 30 September, residents of Brussels aged 50 and over are invited to pick up a free screening kit from their pharmacy.
In 2020, there were some 7,300 cases of colorectal cancer detected in Belgium. In Brussels, more than 500 cases were diagnosed and 229 deaths from the disease were recorded in 2019. Statistics show that in 90% of cases, this type of cancer occurs in people over the age of 50. In more than one in three cases, the disease leads to death.
Despite this, colon cancer is curable nine times out of ten if detected early. Its development is aggressive, as the first symptoms occur after several years. Prevention and screening are therefore a necessity, Cocom stresses.
In practical terms, Brussels residents aged 50 to 74 can ask their pharmacist for the 'Colotest' kit. However, they must not have had a Colotest in the last two years or a colonoscopy in the last five years.
In 2019-2020, 26,000 Colotests were carried out in Brussels, meaning that just 12% of the concerned population got tested. This year, doctors, pharmacists and health promotion workers are involved in the campaign, supported by comedians Richard Ruben and Zidani.
For more information, visit depistagecancer.be or Bruprev.
