The number of colorectal tests conducted in Canada increased in 2024, whereas cervical cancer tests decreased, and the number of mammograms conducted remained steady, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
The report, Colorectal, cervical and breast cancer screening tests, 2024 looks at changes in testing rates which have occurred between 2017 and 2024.
It found that more people underwent colorectal cancer screening tests in 2024 than in 2017: 49 per cent of people between 50 and 74 report having a fecal test within the past two years or a sigmoidoscopy within the last 10 years. The report notes that the analysis does not cover those who’ve had a colonoscopy, meaning there may be an underreporting of the proportion of Canadians who have undergone screening for colorectal cancer. The number is up from 43 per cent reported in 2017.
Reasons for not having a recent fecal test included that health care providers did not think it was necessary or never brought it up – this was reported by 31 per cent of the sample’s respondents; 26 per cent of Canadians themselves thought it wasn’t necessary and seven per cent reported that they didn’t have a regular health care provider.
Among females between age 25 and 69, 69 per cent reported having a Pap smear test within the past three years – a drop from 74 per cent reported in 2017.
Reasons for not undergoing this testing included that healthcare providers never brought it up (25 per cent) or that they didn’t think it was necessary themselves (26 per cent). Time was a barrier for 13 per cent of respondents while the same number reported that they didn’t have a health care provider.
Mammograms for females between 50 and 74 years of age remained relatively unchanged, increasing to 79 per cent, up from 78 per cent in 2017.
