Bowel screening programme set to start
A potentially life-saving new programme to prevent bowel cancer in Southland is less than a month away.
By the end of April, the Southern District Health Board will have launched its phase of the National Bowel Screening Programme.
More than 51,000 Southland and Otago residents aged between 60 and 74 will be invited to participate in the free programme, which aims to stop bowel cancer at its earliest stages.
Southern Bowel Screening Programme clinical lead Dr Jason Hill said the initiative would be ‘‘incredibly valuable’’ for many people throughout the south.
‘‘Southern has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the country and New Zealand has some of the highest rates in the world.
‘‘We estimate over 100 cases of bowel cancer will be detected during the first two years of the programme.’’
Hill said the current strategy diagnosed bowel cancer based on symptoms, which meant 50 per cent of people were being diagnosed with stage three or four cancers.
By screening patients before symptoms became apparent, more people could diagnosed at stage one of the disease, Hill said.
‘‘We’re very excited to be rolling it out now, before 2020 or 2021.’’
Most bowel cancers start out as benign growths, called polyps, located on the wall or lining of the bowel.
While polyps are often harmless, some can become cancerous and develop into tumours.
Hill said the advantage with bowel cancer was that polyps could be removed endoscopically, rather than through invasive surgery.
If treated properly at stage one, there was a 90 per cent chance of stopping the cancer and preventing it from recurring, Hill said.
Those eligible for the programme will receive an invitation letter, as well as a home testing kit and consent form.
For those who are eligible, they will be invited to take a screening test every two years.
Should a test come back posi- tive, it does not mean cancer is present, only that further investigation may be required.
More staff are being recruited to support the programme, including a senior medical officer and nursing and administration staff.
A new endoscopy facility is also being constructed at Dunedin Hospital to deal with the expected increases in colonoscopies that will be required.
Hill said the age range selected for the screening was in line with similar programmes in England and Wales, but there was room for expansion.
‘‘Over 80 per cent of bowel cancer is diagnosed between the ages of 60 to 74. Sixty to 74 is a good starting point [for the programme], but they may widen it when all the DHBs get on board.’’