Earlier this month, the B.C. Cancer Agency announced some grave news.
The organization has been forced to suspend stool sample collection testing, which means delays in diagnosing colorectal cancer in B.C. patients.
The problem was spotted by labs that handle the samples – like LifeLabs – over the summer after they obtained an abnormally high number of positive results.
Suspending tests a “dilemma” for BC Cancer Agency
Dr. John Spinelli, VP of population oncology at the B.C. Cancer Agency spoke to Postmedia News:
“We have a dilemma. We have no choice but to suspend the tests. Some cancers may go undetected in the meantime and that is not good. But we need a test that is reliable and when you are getting too many false positives, it shows that we need to solve this problem as quickly as possible”
At this time, the cancer agency estimates that it will take them six months or longer to solve the problem.
Such setbacks could be dire for B.C. residents, as 3,600 people in the province are expected to contract colorectal cancer in 2017, and 1,300 will die from it.
More information will be posted on this website when it becomes available.
