What is bowel cancer screening?
Bowel cancer causes the second highest number of cancer deaths in Australians. However, 90% of bowel cancer cases are cured if detected early.
Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) is the most effective population screening test for detecting early signs of bowel cancer. FOBT involves collecting small samples of your stool and mailing them to a pathology laboratory for analysis. The test looks for very small amounts of blood in the stool that is invisible to the naked eye in people who do not have any obvious symptoms of bowel cancer.
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program sends out free screening kits every 2 years to all Australians aged 50 to 74.
What does a positive Faecal Occult Blood Test mean?
A positive result means blood in the stool samples has been detected. The presence of blood in the stool may be due to conditions other than bowel cancer such as medications, polyps, haemorrhoids or inflammation fo the bowel, but the underlying cause of the bleeding needs to be investigated by colonoscopy. You should contact your doctor immediately to discuss the result and obtain a referral for a colonoscopy within 30 days.
What does a negative Faecal Occult Blood Test mean?
A negative test means blood has not been detected in the stool samples. It does not mean that you do not have, or can never develop, bowel cancer, since some bowel cancers do not bleed or only bleed on and off. The test should be repeated every 2 years and if you develop any symptoms of bowel cancer see your doctor immediately.
What are the recommendations for bowel cancer screening if I have a family history of bowel cancer?
Screening Recommendations Based on Family History
Category 1: At or slightly above average risk
If you have
Screening recommendations
Category 2: At moderately increase risk
If you have
Screening recommendations
Category 3: At potentially high risk
If you have
Screening recommendations
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