Understanding bowel cancer

AUSTRALIANS need to better understand bowel cancer and the risks involved, according to the Gut Foundation.
Gut Foundation president Professor Terry Bolin said recent government figures on bowel cancer screening show that Australians do not understand their risk from the second-biggest cancer killer.
“Latest figures from the annual monitoring report of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show poor participation in the program and some disappointingly low follow-up rates for positive results,” Prof Bolin said.
According to the Gut Foundation, the report revealed out of 686,000 people in the target age ranges of 50, 55 and 65 who were invited to participate in the screening program, only 36.6 per cent accepted.
More than 16,000 returned a positive Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), and many reported having no symptoms before- hand.
The government should be complimented on establishing a screening program, Prof Bolin said, but it needs to review the report and institute a nationwide, fully-funded education campaign so Australians know more about bowel cancer and understand their risks.
“These figures show what is being done now is simply not enough,” he said.