Health authorities are promoting a “very simple test” as bowel cancer kills on average one Western NSW resident every four days.
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The Western NSW Local Health District and the Cancer Institute NSW have released statistics in a bid to show residents of the region the need to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
They report that by the end of 2021 another 1280 people in the region will be diagnosed with bowel cancer and 420 will die.
Sixty per cent of patients in Western NSW will learn that the disease has spread when they are diagnosed.
But the health district and the institute are adamant that the test can lead to earlier diagnosis and fewer deaths from bowel cancer in the region.
In a statement they report that the National Bowel Screening Program issues a bowel cancer screening kit to all Australians aged 50 to 74 years “regularly”.
From 2020 they will receive a kit every two years.
The kit, used by recipients in the privacy of their homes, can detect potential warning signs of bowel cancer before symptoms develop.
Participating in the program makes diagnosis “at the earliest stages when the chances of survival are at their highest” more likely, the health authorities report.
They say in some cases a positive result on a bowel cancer screening test can lead to changes being detected and treated before they turn into cancer.
The state’s chief cancer officer and chief executive officer of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor David Currow, is urging recipients of the kits to use them.
“The most important thing that a person can do to improve their chances of surviving a bowel cancer diagnosis is to have the cancer detected early,” he said.
“When you get your kit in the post, don’t put it off. It could save your life.”
More information about the screening program including eligibility can be obtained by calling 1800 118 868 or visiting cancerscreening.gov.au.
Anyone with symptoms such as “persistent change in bowel habit” should contact their doctor.
The most important thing that a person can do to improve their chances of surviving a bowel cancer diagnosis is to have the cancer detected early.
- Professor David Currow