Bowel Cancer Screening

Bowel cancer (Colorectal cancer) is the 2nd most common cancer in Australia both in males and females and remains a leading cause of cancer death. Most bowel cancers develop from a benign polyp. Polyps intermittently bleed microscopically and you cannot see blood with the naked eye.  Colon cancer can be diagnosed or prevented with a Bowel cancer screening test with stool kit each and every year (FOBT) or with a periodic colonoscopy.

If you were diagnosed with early cancer of the bowel, you may still be cured just by removing a part of bowel surgically without requiring chemotherapy. However, if you were diagnosed with a advanced cancer of the bowel, you may require advanced treatment and in spite of that you may not able to be cured. Polyps and early cancers will silently progress until advanced stage and spread to other organs occurs.

Believe it or not, two thirds of bowel cancers are diagnosed when it is in advanced stage in our region. Therefore everyone above the age of 50 should get a bowel cancer screen regularly as currently recommended. Do not wait till Rotary send you the kit. Do it every birthday.

If the stool test is positive, please call our office ASAP. We will give you an urgent appointment. If you are healthy and if you have private health insurance we can organise a colonoscopy through our OPEN ACCESS COLONOSCOPY pathway.

Please call our rooms 5525 6006 or email.  But don’t panic, only a small percentage of those actually have bowel cancer.