Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is one of Australia’s most common cancers: about 14,800 new cases a year. Found early, it’s very treatable, and a free poo test at home can find it before you have any symptoms.
The free kit is a stick, a tube and some dignity. Two of those come in the envelope.
See your GP soon for any of these: blood in your poo or bleeding from the bottom, a change in your bowel habit that lasts more than a few weeks, unexplained weight loss, tiredness from low iron, or a lump or pain in the tummy. Don’t wait for a screening kit if you have symptoms.
The numbers
- About 14,800 Australians are diagnosed each year, men and women in similar numbers
- About 1 in 23 people are diagnosed by age 85
- 72% are alive 5 years after diagnosis, up from 52% in the late 1980s
- Cases in people under 50 are rising, which is why screening now starts at 45
Screening: the free test
- The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program mails a free poo test (FIT) every 2 years from 50 to 74
- From 45 to 49 you can ask for a kit yourself, free
- It finds tiny amounts of blood you can’t see. A positive test means a colonoscopy, not a diagnosis
- Most positive tests aren’t cancer: often polyps or piles. Removing polyps prevents cancer
Most bowel cancers start as polyps that sit quietly for years. Screening catches them while they’re still just squatters.
Risk factors
- Age, and a family history of bowel cancer (a parent, brother or sister, especially if diagnosed young)
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis) for many years
- Smoking, alcohol, being above a healthy weight and not moving much
- Lots of red and processed meat; little fibre
- Inherited syndromes such as Lynch syndrome (rare, but important to know about)
Tests and treatment
- Colonoscopy is the main test: a camera looks at the whole bowel and can remove polyps or take samples
- CT scans check whether it has spread
- Surgery removes the cancer in most people with early bowel cancer
- Chemotherapy after surgery lowers the chance of it coming back in some stages
- Rectal cancer may need radiotherapy and chemotherapy before surgery
- Advanced cancer: chemotherapy, targeted drugs and immunotherapy for some tumour types
‘I’m too young for bowel cancer’ is a sentence a lot of young people with bowel cancer have heard. Blood in your poo deserves a proper look at any age.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- Colon cleanses and detox kitsThey don’t prevent bowel cancer and can upset your gut and your salts.
- Blood tests that ‘detect cancer’ instead of the free kitNot a replacement for screening. Do the free test.
Common questions
What are the first signs of bowel cancer?
Often none. When there are symptoms, they include blood in the poo, a lasting change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss, tiredness from low iron and tummy pain.
At what age should I start bowel cancer screening?
In Australia the free test is mailed every 2 years from 50 to 74, and people aged 45 to 49 can request one. People with a strong family history may need colonoscopy instead: ask your GP.
Is bowel cancer curable?
Yes, especially when found early. About 72% of people are alive 5 years after diagnosis, and many more when it’s caught at an early stage.
Helpful resources
- Cancer Council 13 11 20Information and support line for anyone affected by cancer. Free.
- National Bowel Cancer Screening ProgramFree test every 2 years. Free.
- Bowel Cancer AustraliaInformation and support.
Evidence and more information
- Cancer Australia: Bowel cancer statistics
- National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (health.gov.au)
- Cancer Council: Bowel screening
maladywise.com/bowel-cancer/