Offering for free the FIT screening test for early detection throughout March
Beirut, Lebanon, March 2018: For the second year in a row, on the occasion of the International Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Bellevue Medical Center (BMC) launched an awareness campaign to prevent this disease, which ranks the world’s third most common tumor and the second cause of death, noting that 90% of patients that undergo an early detection can be cured. The campaign aims to highlight this type of tumors by explaining all symptoms as well as ways to prevent it.
Most people with colorectal cancer do not show any symptoms in the early stages. According to the international recommendations, every 50-year-old person must undergo routine screening tests for early detection. The Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) remains the most accurate screening test and is recommended annually, while colonoscopy is the ideal test to be performed every 10 years. To urge citizens to do so, Bellevue Medical Center, the only hospital in Lebanon providing FIT, offers free screenings for the duration of the campaign from 1st to the end of March, and provides free consultation for those whose analysis have shown positive results.
The campaign, organized last year by the hospital, was a great success, for it helped raise awareness around this silent disease. In fact, the statistics indicated that the majority of Lebanese are not aware of this type of tumor, hence this year’s campaign has spread further awareness. According to the professor Cesar Yaghi , most cases detected when symptoms occurs are already in an advanced stages. He then underlined the close link between the level of awareness and the frequency of screening necessary for detecting numerous cancers and treating them in their primary stages or before the malignant disease since early detection can diagnose benign cases that precede years of malignancy hence helping save the lives of many patients.
The campaign also covers many activities, including an interactive awareness stand at the hospital and a social media campaign.
About Bellevue Medical Center:
Located in the green valley of Qanater Zbaydeh, Mansourieh, Bellevue Medical Center (BMC) is a general university hospital offering medical services in various healthcare specialties to the Lebanese and international patient community. BMC is accredited by the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI).