People aged 45 or more are being encouraged to take advantage of free screening kits as part of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
More people in NSW are now eligible to take part in bowel screening, with the Federal Government recently lowering the screening entry age from 50 to 45.
It takes only five minutes to do a screening test says Scott Reid who is Central Coast Local Health District Cancer Nurse Co-ordinator for Colorectal Cancer.
He said Australia had one of the highest incidences of bowel cancer in the world and it’s the second biggest cancer killer in NSW.
“Unfortunately, more than 5,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in NSW every year but the good news is that there is a free, easy test to detect bowel cancer,” he said.
“We hope the expanded screening program will encourage more people in our Central Coast community to do the test – it could save your life.”
NSW Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW Professor Tracey O’Brien said if caught early, bowel cancer could be successfully treated in more than 90 per cent of cases.
“We know that people who do the test are almost twice as likely to have their cancer detected at the earliest stage, when it’s most treatable,” O’Brien said.
While people can get bowel cancer at any age, the risk increases with age.
Reid said symptoms included a change in bowel habits, bleeding, fatigue, anaemia or unexplained weight loss.
But bowel cancer can develop without any symptoms so regular screening plays an essential role in early detection.
From July 1, people aged 45-49 can request a free kit online at https://www.ncsr.gov.au/boweltest, call 1800 627 701 or speak to their regular doctor about getting a free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program kit.
People aged 50-74 will continue to automatically receive a bowel screening kit in the mail every two years.
Find out more about bowel cancer screening at www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/dothetest/
Be the first to comment on "Free bowel cancer screening for over-45s"