Bowel cancer is Australia’s second deadliest cancer – in fact, in NSW it kills more people than prostate cancer, breast cancer or melanoma.
Despite this, only 40.5 per cent of eligible people in NSW – and 37.2 per cent of eligible people in South Western Sydney – take part in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. Through the program, free bowel cancer screening tests are sent to people aged 50 to 74 every two years.
June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and aims to increase participation in the screening program by highlighting the importance of early detection.
According to a 2017 study by Cancer Council Australia, screening for bowel cancer can reduce deaths from the disease by between 15 per cent and 25 per cent.
Common symptoms of bowel cancer include:
A recent, persistent change in bowel habit
Such as looser, more diarrhoea-like poo, constipation, or going to the toilet more often, or trying to go – irregularity in someone whose bowel habits have previously been regular
A change in shape or appearance of your poo
For example, narrower poos than usual or mucus in poo
Blood in your poo or rectal bleeding
Bright red or very dark blood should never be ignored
Frequent gas pain, cramps
A feeling of fullness or bloating in the bowel or rectum
Unexplained anaemia
A low red blood count causing tiredness, weakness or weight loss
A feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely after going to the toilet
Pain or a lump in the anus or rectum
Abdominal pain or swelling
Not everyone experiences symptoms, particularly in the early stages of bowel cancer. Symptoms may be suggestive of bowel cancer, but they can also be due to other medical conditions, some foods or medicines. Don’t delay in talking to your GP if you are experiencing any of the described symptoms for two weeks or more, because when diagnosed early almost 99 percent of cases can be successfully treated. Blood in the stool or rectal bleeding should never be ignored.