Until a few days ago the free kits for colon cancer screening could only be collected at health centers, but that has changed and since Friday last week they have been available in the more than 3,000 pharmacies throughout the Community of Madrid.
This measure is part of the Colon and Rectal Cancer Prevention Screening Program (PREVECOLON) and it is expected to “dispense up to 400,000 kits in a year and get more and more people in Madrid to take the test on time”, in the words of the Regional Minister of Health, Fátima Matute.
It is an initial test, “painless and without discomfort for the patient”, which consists of an analysis of a stool sample to be delivered to the health centers.
Who can collect the colon cancer screening kits?
This measure is aimed at “people between 50 and 69 years of age and without symptoms or added risk factors“. Those citizens of Madrid who meet these requirements will have these colon cancer screening kits included in their Health Card.
According to data from the Community of Madrid, last year the program identified 499 cancers, 447 high-risk lesions and 2,914 lesions requiring surveillance and health follow-up.
Why is prevention especially important?
The reason lies in the fact that colon and rectal cancer -which is the most frequent malignant tumor and the second cause of death from cancer in Spain- can be present for a long time without the affected person having any symptoms, which makes early diagnosis difficult.
That is why this stool blood test makes it possible to detect the disease early, reducing mortality, as well as “eliminating precancerous polyps, through complementary tests such as colonoscopies”.