Bowel Cancer Screening

 

Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Australia.  There is no question that bowel cancer screening saves lives and here at Downs Endoscopy Services we strongly advocate advanced screening for bowel cancer. Bowel cancer screening is able to detect problems at an early stage when the likelihood of successful treatment is much greater. Through the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, people aged 50 to 74 are automatically sent a free faecal occult blood test (FOBT) kit which can be completed at home.

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If you have a positive FOBT result, this does not mean that you have cancer. The majority of patients find that their positive FOBT was caused by diverticular disease or haemorrhoids. A patient who receives a negative result, but is experiencing symptoms, may still want to undergo a colonoscopy for further investigation. More information can be found at the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program website.

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If you have a strong family history of bowel cancer, or a genetic condition such as Polyposis Syndrome or Lynch Syndrome, you and other family members may require a regular a screening colonoscopy.