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Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world, with around one in 16 people diagnosed during their lifetime. Bowel cancer is common, but it is also one of the most treatable cancers when it is found early. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBSCP) aims to reduce deaths from bowel cancer through early detection of the disease.
The NBCSP invites eligible people aged between 45 and 74 years to screen for bowel cancer:
The free bowel screening test kit is mailed to a person’s Medicare-registered postal address, so it is important to keep this address up to date.
The test is used to collect tiny samples of two separate bowel motions (poo), which are then checked for tiny trace amounts of blood, which may be a sign of cancer or pre-cancerous growths. The test kits contain step-by-step instructions and a reply-paid envelope, to return the samples for pathology testing. The samples are processed, and the results are sent to the participant and their nominated doctor within two weeks.
The bowel screening test cannot diagnose bowel cancer, but the results will indicate whether a further test (usually a colonoscopy) is needed to rule out bowel cancer. Anyone with potential bowel cancer symptoms should not complete the bowel screening test kit and should instead speak to their doctor about these symptoms as soon as possible.
More information can be found on the NBCSP website, including in other languages. You can also talk to your doctor if you have any questions about bowel cancer and screening.
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