At-home test kits are saving lives – advocate
At-home bowel testing kits have helped detect early-stage bowel cancer in 20 South Cantabrians since they were launched in November 2020.
The latest data, released by the National Bowel Screening Programme, shows of the 7082 tests completed to date – 6730 tests came back normal, and 352 came back with abnormal results.
‘‘That number is a big deal, that is over 300 people that might have gone on to develop full-blown bowel cancer,’’ at-home screening programme advocate Parris Heath said.
Of the abnormal results, 20 were found to have early-stage bowel cancer. Anyone with an abnormal result is contacted by their general practitioner for further investigation.
‘‘That’s huge. It goes to show how important proactive testing is,’’ Heath said.
He became an advocate for the athome bowel screening test because of his history of prostate cancer, which was diagnosed early from a checkup.
It is something he hopes to encourage others to do.
‘‘I got on board because of my age and because I am part-Māori, knowing that South Canterbury has the highest rate of bowel cancer in New Zealand,’’ he said.
‘‘And I am behind proactive testing because that has helped me in the past. Why leave everything to chance?’’
The test kits were discreet and easy to use and completed in people’s own homes, he said.
People are provided with all the equipment to carry out the test and supplies to mail the sample back to the laboratory.
‘‘A lot of people don’t want to investigate things further with their health. There is a bit of out-of-sight outof-mind mentality with some of us.
‘‘I know a few people that have had bowel cancer and I know that a lot of people don’t know until it is too late.’’
The National Bowel Screening Programme at-home screening kits were introduced in South Canterbury in November 2020 for 60 to 74-year-olds, with the kits mailed to recipients. Data released on Monday shows that 7082 of the 10,950 tests which have been mailed out have been returned.
The data also showed 8% of people did not participate in testing after being sent the kit because of medical reasons, or because they had a colonoscopy in the past five years.
Invitations to participate in the programme are sent through the mail and if accepted are then followed by a test kit.
■ For more information go to timetoscreen.nz or phone 0800 924 432.