Bowel cancer can develop with no symptoms or family history. This means that doing regular screening from the age of 50 is important, even if you feel well and live a healthy lifestyle.
In August 2023, Cancer Council Victoria shared Laurie’s story of how the bowel screening test saved his life. All eligible Victorians aged 50 to 74 receive a free bowel screening test kit in the mail every two years as part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
However, data shows 44.8 per cent of eligible Victorians in Shepparton participated in 2020 and 2021. This was a 2.9 per cent decline from the 47.7 per cent participation rate in the 2019-20 reporting period.
Bowel cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among Victorian males and the third among Victorian females. The latest Victorian Cancer Registry data shows that 1281 Victorians died from bowel cancer in 2021.
In partnership with the Victorian Department of Health, our campaign looked to increase participation and remind all eligible Victorians not to take the risk and to take the bowel screening test. The National Cancer Screening Register has reported that over 6900 requests for replacement test kits were made via our campaign website — a strong sign of people’s intention to want to do the test.
By completing the test, they are also helping their chances to be there for the important moments in their life with family and friends. Since our campaign launched, we’ve also supported 1605 people by sending them personal SMS or email reminders to do the test kit as soon as it comes in the mail, provided instructions on how to do the test and helped them to reorder a test if they lost or misplaced it.
Throughout this campaign, we’ve heard from Victorians about why they do the test and why they would encourage others to do the test. Their stories were filmed and shared through social media to inspire others to reflect on the moments they wouldn’t want to miss.
One such person was Ann Capling, who, at age 58, had a close call with bowel cancer in 2017. Ann had no symptoms, lived a healthy and active life, and had no family history of bowel cancer. However, after her routine bowel screening test came back positive, she had a colonoscopy, which found a cancerous polyp.
Ann said she was grateful the kit helped her find the polyp early to ensure she could still spend time with her family and friends. “I shudder to think what would have happened had I left the test sitting on my desk for months or ignored it altogether,” she said. “Instead of living a full and busy life, enjoying adventures with my partner of 30 years, and celebrating my adult children’s important milestones, I would have been dealing with the trauma of bowel cancer.”
Ann is now encouraging others not to delay and to do the test as soon as it comes in the mail. Over 90 per cent of bowel cancers can be treated successfully if found early. If you’re aged 50 to 74, then you have a higher risk of bowel cancer.
Doing the free bowel screening test every two years when it’s sent to you in the mail could save your life. Don’t take the risk; take the test.
To learn more about bowel screening or to reorder a replacement test kit, go to cancervic.org.au/bowel
Todd Harper,
Cancer Council Victoria chief executive
