What is screening?
General information about the bowel cancer screening process and why it is important to screen for bowel cancer.
Screening for bowel cancer
Screening involves testing for bowel cancer in people who do not have any obvious symptoms of the disease. The aim is to find any polyps, or to find cancer early when they are easier to treat and cure.Bowel cancer can develop without any early warning signs. The cancer can grow on the inside wall of the bowel for several years before spreading to other parts of the body. Often very small amounts of blood leak from these growths and pass into the bowel motion before any symptoms are noticed.
A test called a FOBT can detect these small amounts of blood in the bowel motion. FOBT stands for Faecal Occult Blood Test. The FOBT looks for blood in the bowel motion, but not for bowel cancer itself. Screening for bowel cancer using a FOBT is a simple non-invasive process that can be done in the privacy of your own home. Although no screening test is 100% accurate, the FOBT is currently the most well researched screening test for bowel cancer.
Completing a FOBT every two years, can reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by up to one third.
People with symptoms of bowel cancer or who have a family history of bowel cancer should consult their doctor as soon as possible.
Top of Page
Why screen for bowel cancer?
The aim of screening is to find cancer early when it is easier to treat and cure. Regular screening is important because bowel cancer can develop without any early warning symptoms. Screening tests can help prevent bowel cancer deaths by finding polyps and cancers early, when treatment works best. Currently fewer than 40 per cent of bowel cancers in Australia are detected early. Regular screening, using a FOBT can reduce the number of Australians who die each year from bowel cancer.Top of Page
Why do eligible people who don’t have any symptoms need to participate in screening?
Screening involves testing for bowel cancer in people who do not have any obvious symptoms of the disease. The aim is to find cancer early when it is easier to treat.Regular screening is important because bowel cancer can develop without any early warning symptoms. Bowel cancer can be treated successfully if detected in its early stages.
Doing an FOBT every two years, can reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by up to one third.
Page currency, Latest update: July, 2008