The American Cancer Society recently pointed out that approximately 20% of new colorectal cancer diagnoses were in patients under 55 in 2019, compared with merely 11% in 1995. Actor Chadwick Boseman’s death in 2020 from colon cancer at the age of 43 has further highlighted this troubling trend.
Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world; 1 in 15 Australians will develop the disease in their lifetime. Bowel cancer is Australia’s second deadliest cancer. Research suggests that around 30% people who develop bowel cancer have either a hereditary contribution, family history, or a combination of both.
The risk of developing bowel cancer rises sharply and progressively from age 50, but the number of Australians under the age of 50 diagnosed with bowel cancer has been increasing steadily. Therefore it is important to know the symptoms of bowel cancer and have them investigated if they persist for more than two weeks.
Almost 99% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully when detected early. As physicians, it is incumbent upon us to refer at the earliest patients with a history of altered bowel habits, PR bleed, weight loss, iron deficiency, intractable abdominal pain, and family history of bowel cancer for colonoscopy.
Every June in Australia is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
