Turning 50 this year? Let’s talk about the reasons the government wants to start testing your poo
Tuesday 3 January 2017
If you're turning 50 in 2017, you may have had an unexpected surprise turn up in the mail in the months that follow: a free bowel cancer screening kit mailed out as part of the Australian Government’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
It seems like a strange birthday gift to receive from the government, but it is an important one. Unfortunately, it’s also all too easily ignored, as it seems like many Australians either forget to follow through or just aren’t thrilled with the idea of collecting their own poo samples and mailing them off to the lab. Recent statistics showed that over 450,000 Queenslanders who turned 50 were mailed the kits, but less than 40% of recipients returned their sample.
The results of our bowel movements are never a popular topic, particularly when you add the possibility of cancer to the mix, but here’s a few reasons it’s time to grit your teeth, reach into the toilet bowel, and spend a few seconds collecting some poo on a sampling stick.
If you're Australian, the odds are against you when it comes to bowel cancer
Bowel cancer is serious business in Australia. We have one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world. The lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer before the age of seventy five is one-in-nineteen for men, and one-in-twenty-three for women. Bowel cancer kills around 80 Australians every week, and turning 50 means you’ve just hit the age where your risk of bowel cancer increases dramatically and keeps increasing with every birthday after.
An Australian is statistically more likely to experience bowel cancer than win the lottery. And bowel cancer is considerably less fun.
Bowel cancer begins with a growth developing in the wall or lining of the colon, forming clumps known as polyps or adenomas. Most will be benign, but can become cancerous over a period of years and, if left untreated, can spread to other areas of the body.
Early detection increases the odds of successful treatment
The slow development of bowel cancer is bad news, because it means it can develop without any obvious early warning signs. The noticeable physical symptoms – which range from bleeding from the rectum, changes in your bowel habits, and ongoing abdominal pain and cramping – generally don’t manifest until later.
The good news is this: tests that will pick up the early stages of the cancer do exist, and up to 90% of bowel cancers can be treated successfully if they are caught early. The test can also detect polyps or other abnormalities, meaning they can be removed before they ever become cancerous.
The kit that comes from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program after your 50th birthday contains a Faecal Occult Blood Test, which detects the tiny, unnoticeable amounts of blood that leak into your bowel movement after growths have formed. The test takes small samples from two different bowel movements, which can be tested in a laboratory, and is the most reliable, non-invasive test for bowel cancer we have.
Regular screening every two years is your best defence against bowel cancer, and the kit makes the process easy, efficient, and you can do it in the privacy of your own home.
The test is free and easy to use
Your free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program kit will arrive in the mail within the six month period after your 50th birthday. Your kit will come with a flushable paper mat that is placed in the toilet bowl and used to catch your bowel movement. Once you’ve done your business, drag a sampling stick through your poo until you’ve gathered a sample about the size of a grain of rice, then put the sampling stick in the collection tube and fill out your identifying paperwork.
The collection tube goes into its packaging to be stored until you’ve collected your second sample during the next 48 hours, and then everything is ready to be mailed back to the laboratory. Once both samples are collected, you’re ready to mail your sample in using the pre-paid envelope required, and you’ll get a response two weeks later when your sample has been processed.
If your test is positive, it means traces of blood were found in one or both of your samples. It doesn’t necessarily mean that bowel cancer is present, but you should see your doctor to talk about the results as soon as possible.
If the test is negative, there are no signs of bowel cancer for the time being, although you’ll receive a new screening kit at regular intervals as the national screening program expands.
It's short-term unpleasantness for long-term piece of mind
It’s hard to get excited about the idea of dragging a sampling stick through your own poo and mailing the results to a lab, but participating in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is trading some short-term awkwardness for some long-term piece of mind. At worst, you’ll discover that you’ve got nothing to worry about; at best, you’ll get some early warning about a potentially fatal cancer that will be considerably more awkward than the testing process could ever be.
The simple fact is this: screening saves lives. The easiest way to make sure that yours is one of them is knuckling down and collecting your poo on two days out of every two years.
Screening kits are mailed out to all eligible Australians over the age of 50 who have a Medicare card and a mailing address. You can check your eligibility and the arrival date of your next kit on the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program website.
For more info visit qld.gov.au/bowelscreen
