WITH the announcement that a greater age range of people now qualify for the national bowel cancer screening programme, those eligible are being urged to sign up during Bowel Cancer Month in April.
Bowel cancer is common and often curable when detected early, but the early detection is vital for maximising the potential for cure, which can be hindered by low awareness of symptoms and risk.
Nationally, more than 2,500 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed each year, and almost 80 per cent are diagnosed at a point where there is potential for cure.
Bowel cancer can be treated with combinations of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and newer emerging targeted therapies. Each year in the Mid West, around 200 patients require surgical management of bowel cancer.
Not everyone will experience every symptom. More than two-thirds of patients present after noticing blood in their poo (which may be bright or dark red or closer to black), experiencing tummy pain, or feeling very tired for no reason.
Other common symptoms include bleeding or pain in the bottom, a feeling of not emptying the bowel completely after a bowel movement, or feeling a lump anywhere in the tummy.
Losing weight for no reason and changes in toilet habits persisting beyond a few weeks may also occur.
Age is a significant risk factor, particularly for those aged over 50. However, diagnosis is increasingly common among younger people, so symptoms should not be ignored at any age.
BowelScreen, the national bowel screening programme, offers bowel cancer screening to anyone aged 57-71 years old, including those who are not experiencing any bowel symptoms at all.
People registered for BowelScreen get a free, non-invasive test sent to their home that can find early signs of cancer even before symptoms start, and stop it developing.
People living in Limerick and across the Mid West who test positive will be offered a screening colonoscopy in St John’s Hospital or Ennis Hospital, which can detect polyps and earlier stage cancers, meaning that treatment tends to be more successful.
Registration for BowelScreen can be done through 1800 45 45 55 or by email to [email protected].