Stop sitting on your symptoms: why early detection saves lives

By MiNDFOOD

Stop sitting on your symptoms: why early detection saves lives

75% of bowel cancer is curable if caught early. Here’s what to look out for.

Colorectal cancer (also known as cancer of the bowel) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death. Most bowel cancers start as benign growths, called polyps. One type of polyp can become malignant if left undetected. If untreated, the cancer cells can then travel to other parts of the body. This is the reason that the earlier bowel cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat. 

A new study by Bowel Cancer New Zealand and the University of Otago is the first to present bowel cancer patients’ perspectives and experiences of the pathways to diagnosis in New Zealand.

Bowel Cancer New Zealand (BCNZ) spokesperson Professor Sarah Derrett says, “This study indicates inequities in terms of obtaining a timely diagnosis exist in New Zealand. People aged under 60, with no tertiary qualification, having a poor first experience with a healthcare professional, and people diagnosed in public hospitals (compared to private) took longer to obtain a diagnosis.” 

The researchers note it seems likely socioeconomic factors are related to delay – where wealthier people are able to pay for investigations such as private colonoscopy, but this being beyond the reach of many New Zealanders. The study also highlights a lack of public knowledge around bowel cancer symptoms and the need for future education initiatives to rectify this. Zoe Windner, a third year medical student who collected the data as a summer student based in Preventive and Social Medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine says, “The importance of patients knowing to talk to their healthcare providers about bowel cancer symptoms was confirmed, even if symptoms seem intermittent”. 

BCNZ encourages open discussion about bowel cancer with medical professionals and avoiding ‘sitting on your symptoms’. Symptoms include:

  • Bleeding from the bottom or seeing blood in the toilet after a bowel motion;
  • Change of bowel motions over several weeks without returning to normal;
  • Persistent or periodic severe pain the abdomen;
  • A lump or mass in the abdomen;
  • Tiredness and loss of weight for no particular reason;

If you have you have symptoms or a family history of bowel cancer it’s important to talk to your GP. 

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