By Brendan Kelly
Bowel cancer is Australia’s second-biggest cancer killer and the Cancer Council is hoping Brimbank residents will take the initiative in reducing its toll.
A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that bowel cancer screenings pick up 83 per cent of cancers in the first round of testing, with
90 per cent of bowel cancers curable if caught early.
Craig Sinclair, of Cancer Council Victoria, is enthusiastic about the effect the screenings have.
“This test is saving hundreds of Australian lives each year,” he said. “Australia is lucky that we have free access to an effective test to screen for bowel cancer.”
Australia is one of the first countries in the world to have set up a national bowel cancer screening program.
Brimbank residents wanting to test themselves can use a simple kit that can be obtained at pharmacies and used at home before being returned for analysis.
Eugene Arocca, chief executive of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and former CEO of North Melbourne Football Club, received a bowel screening kit when he was 50 but put off screening until he was 54.
When he finally saw his doctor, Mr Arocca was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The cancer hadn’t spread to his lymph nodes and was treated through surgery.
Mr Arocca’s message about the urgency of bowel cancer testing is simple.
“If you’re 50 or over, you need to do a simple bowel cancer screening test,” he said. “Don’t procrastinate … I did and it nearly cost me my life.”
