NS halts colon cancer screening kit program after abnormal test results

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia has halted the mailout of colon cancer home screening kits after abnormal test results were detected.

Cancer Care Nova Scotia says a monitoring system that tracks the kits discovered a recent increase in positive test results.

Cancer Care Nova Scotia says it contacted the test manufacturers, who said the problem is with the materials they provide to a laboratory that processes the kits and not with the home screening tests.

Dr. Bernard Badley, medical director of the province’s Colon Cancer Prevention Program, says home screening tests won’t be mailed out until the supplier has fixed the problem.

The screening tests look for hidden blood in stool, which may be a sign of cancer.

The program was launched four years ago.