Bowel scan saves lives

By the end of 2021, a further 1250 people in the Murrumbidgee area will be diagnosed with bowel cancer and more than 370 will lose their life to the disease.

These Cancer Institute NSW figures mean that on average, someone will die from bowel cancer in this region every five days.

However, experts say it is possible to change these figures through a very simple test.

For the month of May, Deniliquin Rotary Club is selling bowel scan test kits for $15 at Soul Pattinson Chemist, Eric Sim Pharmacy, and Deniliquin Medical Centre.

Rotarian Ian Campbell said the kit can potentially save lives.

‘‘Too many people ignore the opportunity to do something as simple as this, and later get in trouble for it,’’ Mr Campbell said.

‘‘It’s there for their benefit, and is well worth doing.’’

This kit, which can be used in a person’s home, can detect potential warning signs of bowel cancer at an early stage, before symptoms develop.

This means people are more likely to be diagnosed at the earliest stages when the chances of survival are at their highest. In fact, for some, a positive result on a bowel cancer screening test can lead to changes being detected and treated before they turn into cancer.

CEO of Cancer Institute NSW and the state’s chief cancer officer Professor David Currow stresses the importance of the test.

If you have symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habit, pain in your abdomen, bleeding, tiredness or weight loss, or if you are worried about your bowel health in any way, then contact your doctor immediately.