What is bowel cancer ?
Bowel cancer is a malignant growth that develops most commonly inside the large bowel. Most bowel cancers develop from tiny growths inside the colon or rectum called polyps, which look like small spots on the bowel lining or like cherries on stalks. Not all polyps become cancerous. If polyps are removed, the risk of bowel cancer is reduced.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in Australia, and over 78 Australians die each week from the disease (three times the number of fatalities on our nation’s roads). Bowel cancer can be treated successfully if detected in its early stages, but currently fewer than 40 per cent of bowel cancers are detected early.
Are you at risk ?Both men and women are at risk of developing bowel cancer.
1 in 12 Australians will be diagnosed with bowel cancer by age 85.
This is one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. The risk is greater for people who:
- Are aged 50 years and over – risk increases with age;
- Have a significant family history of bowel cancer or
polyps; (You are considered to have a significant family history of bowel cancer if a close relative (parent, brother, sister or child) developed bowel cancer at a young age (under 55 years) or if more than one relative on the same side of your family has had bowel cancer.)
- Have had an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis; or
- Have previously had special types of polyps, called adenomas, in the bowel.
The 2007 It's Crunch Time™ campaign was substantially funded by the
Commonwealth Government Department of Health & Ageing.
