Do you know your cancer IQ?

The Northeast Cancer Centre and Cancer Care Ontario are celebrating the first anniversary of MyCancerIQ, and an expansion of the tool, on World Cancer Day 2016 — which just happens to be today (Feb. 4).

MyCancerIQ is a simple self-assessment of your risk of developing cancer. Introduced last year, My CancerIQ can be accessed from a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer at MyCancerIQ.ca. The self-assessment includes a personalized action plan that you can share with your family and health-care provider.

Cancer Care Ontario is introducing two new cancers to MyCancerIQ this year. Now, in addition to breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer, people can also assess their risk for kidney cancer and melanoma.

“The North East region has a higher incidence rate for kidney cancer compared to the provincial average, so it’s important for people to assess their risks and take action to reduce these factors,” said Dr. Amanda Hey, regional primary Care lead for the Northeast Cancer Centre, in a press release.

According to the latest data from the Ontario Cancer Registry, the incident rate for kidney cancer in northeastern Ontario is much higher than the provincial average, with the incident rate for melanoma is slightly below the provincial average.

Since the launch of MyCancerIQ in early 2015, more than 146,000 Ontarians have learned about their cancer risk and how to lower it. With these new additions, Cancer Care Ontario wants to help Ontarians better understand kidney cancer and melanoma and how to reduce their risk.