There is a novelty concerning men and women aged 50 to 69 who did not respond to the first invitation of the Ausl to participate in the screening for the prevention and diagnosis of colorectal cancer, and for this they received a reminder letter from the health authority.
The novelty, for those who receive the reminder, is that the kit for the collection of feces can be collected for free in the pharmacies of Parma and its province, which already collaborate with the Local Health Authority for the booking service for visits and exams (Cup). It is a capillary network throughout the territory, the list of which is available and always updated on the Ausl website at www.ausl.pr.it
The return of the kit is then always carried out independently by the citizen, in the locations listed in the letter.
“Prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer is simple, painless and free. And above all it works – says Paolo Orsi, provincial head of the screening program – For those who adhere to screening programs, the risk of colorectal cancer has been reduced by more than 20% in the last two decades and the risk of dying from this neoplasm decreased by more than 30%. I believe that the involvement of the pharmacist in this campaign is very important – continues Orsi – because thanks to his competence and the relationship of trust with the citizen, he can further incentivize membership. An adhesion that is really important, because it allows you to remove any lesions to the intestine that risk becoming malignant tumors and to diagnose a tumor when it is still possible to cure it definitively. For this reason – concludes the manager – I renew the invitation to join: it is a question of taking a simple test, which can save your life! “.
THE SCREENING OF THE RECTUM COLON
There are about 125,000 people in Parma and its province who, with a letter sent home from the AUSL, are invited every two years to perform a test for the search for occult blood in the faeces.
COLLECTION OF THE KIT
For over a year, together with the invitation letter, the USL Company has also sent the kit with everything necessary for the collection of feces and any useful information to the citizens’ homes. With the reminder letter, however, the citizen is invited to collect the kit at the pharmacy.
THE RETURN
The return of the sample takes place independently. In the letter (both invitation and reminder) the place where to leave the kit is indicated. There are 20 locations, including Health Homes and AUSL Clinics, where citizens find special refrigerated containers with appropriate signs for their easy identification, in which to put the samples in a totally autonomous way. The return must take place within two months of the invitation received.
THE RESULT OF THE TEST
If the test is negative (i.e. in the absence of occult blood in the stool) the person receives the answer at home, by post, within about 40 days. After two years the same person is again invited to repeat the test. In the event of a positive outcome, in addition to receiving a written communication, the citizen is also contacted by telephone by the professionals of the Screening Center. On that occasion, the significance of the positivity of the examination is explained and the possibility of booking a colonoscopy immediately is offered. The screening test, the subsequent diagnostic tests and the treatments proposed under the program are free.
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