Have you done your bowel cancer test?

We’ve all seen the bowel cancer screening ads. If you’re between 50 and 74, the government sends you a free test kit every two years. But have you actually used it?

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is Australia’s second biggest cancer killer. It kills more people in NSW than prostate cancer, breast cancer or melanoma. Despite this, currently only around 40 per cent of eligible people in the state take part in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

While bowel cancer can be life-threatening, it’s also highly preventable through lifestyle changes, early detection, and medical interventions.

Bowel cancer basics

This condition often begins as small growths called polyps, which can form on the inner lining of the bowel. While not all polyps turn into cancer, some can become malignant over time.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include persistent changes in bowel habits (such as diarrhea or constipation), rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, and a feeling of incomplete bowel emptying.

In its early stages, bowel cancer may not cause any symptoms at all, making regular screening crucial.

Risk factors include:

• Family history: A genetic predisposition to bowel cancer can significantly increase risk.
• Diet: High consumption of red and processed meats is associated with a higher risk, while diets rich in fiber may be protective.
• Lifestyle: Sedentary behavior, obesity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to bowel cancer risk.
• Medical conditions: Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and certain inherited syndromes elevate risk.
• Age: Most cases occur in individuals over 50.

Prevention strategies

Making sure you’re getting a healthy diet is a great place to start. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are high in fiber, which promotes regular bowel movements and supports gut health.

Limiting or entirely avoiding red and processed meats will reduce your risk. Maintaining a balanced intake of calcium and vitamin D also offers some protection against bowel cancer.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of bowel cancer by improving digestion and maintaining a healthy weight (obesity increases your risk). Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week.

Avoiding or at least minimising alcohol and nicotine is a great way to limit your risk of getting bowel or other cancers.

Screening tests help detect precancerous polyps or early-stage cancer, which can be removed with minimal risk and inconvenience. Regular screenings are recommended starting at age 45 or earlier for those with a family history of the disease.

The bottom line is that early detection of bowel cancer significantly improves survival rates. When caught at an early stage, treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are often much more effective.

Eve’s story

Sixty year old Northern Rivers resident Eve recently had her first close encounter with bowel cancer. Here’s her story, in her own words:

‘Ten years ago when my first bowel screen arrived I looked at it and laughed and threw it in the bin. The same thing happened every two years after that and it wasn’t until I turned 60 last year I thought I better do the test.

‘I got a positive result and that’s not a good thing. A colonoscopy showed I had tumours,’ she said.

‘Since my colon cancer diagnosis I have had to tell several people as I needed time off work and life to recover – surprisingly, about half of those people responded with: “oh I have one of those in the drawer. I have been meaning to do it…”‘

No symptoms

‘The scary thing is I had no symptoms,’ Eve remembers. ‘No blood in my poop and no pain in my belly.

‘If I hadn’t ever done the test and only went to the doctor when I was in pain, the outcome could have been a lot worse than what it ended up being.

‘This whole thing could most likely have been avoided if I had just done that test ten, or even eight or six years before. I am lucky – a surgery, a few days in the hospital and six weeks at home resting up and I am lucky not to need chemo – I could have been dead.

‘I urge everyone, don’t even wait until you are 50, contact the Cancer Council and get a test kit.’