Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: Why bowel screening is so important...

BOWEL cancer is also known as colon, rectal or colorectal cancer, and it’s the second most common cancer in men, the third most common in women.

Because of this, and the need to catch bowel cancer early, there are screening services offered to the age-group most at risk, from age 59-69. After an initial invitation to screen, you’ll be called back to repeat it every two years.

Most of us have somebody of that age bracket in our lives, if we don’t fit that category ourselves, and it’s worth encouraging them to register and to begin the screening process.

The idea of a bowel screen is to check for those earliest cell changes in the large bowel before symptoms even occur. Because of how bowel cancer progresses through the various stages at such a rapid rate, the earlier something sinister is caught, the better the outcome.

Being proactive, whilst possibly daunting and scary in case of what might be found, is a really effective way to protect our health.

You shouldn’t rule out screening for yourself if you don’t fall within the age criteria, as bowel cancer can also happen outside of this timeframe. Make sure to speak with your GP if you’re worried about any unusual symptoms, have a history of bowel cancer in your family, or if you have a bowel condition which may indicate that you should take part in screening as a result of the additional risks that the condition carries.

You must first be on the Bowel Screen register to be included in these communications, and you can arrange this by calling 1800 45 45 55, emailing info@bowelscreen.ie or completing the registration process online.

Full information for this is available on the HSE Bowel Screen website.

Once registered and within the age category, you’ll receive you first at-home screening kit by post, to test the amount of blood present in the stool. This kit is very straightforward to use, and can be used day or night, with no need to change your usual routine or ingest any special liquid or medication beforehand. It’s convenient, and avoids any embarrassment you might experience in a clinical setting, although there is no need for any embarrassment related to this very important process.

You should collect a sample by scraping the sampling stick on your stool until the end of the stick is covered. Put the sample stick in the tube, seal the tube in the plastic bag, and use the pre-paid envelope to send the sample back for testing either that same day or the day after. Results get returned within four weeks.

The result comes back as either ‘normal’ or ‘not normal’.

For most, the result returned is ‘normal’ and this means that you’re signed off until the next check in two years’ time. However, it’s always important to continue to watch for symptoms of bowel cancer, and to remember that not all cancers bleed. Symptoms such as ongoing diarrhoea, blood from the back passage for no reason, a pain or lump in the tummy, or weight loss that you haven’t been attempting to achieve are all reasons to investigate further.

If the level of blood in the stool is too high then the ‘not normal’ result is returned. Having blood in the stool may not indicate bowel cancer, but it does indicate that further investigation such as a colonoscopy should be carried out. Your doctor will guide you through that process, should it be needed.

Early detection is key, so avail of all the services available to catch bowel cancer as soon as possible. Chat to your healthcare team about any queries you might have, and be reassured that you can have the conversation in confidence.

About the author

Dr Michelle O’Driscoll is a pharmacist, re searcher and founder of InTuition, a health and wellness education company. Her research lies in the area of mental health education, and through InTuition she delivers health promotion workshops to corporate and academic organi sations nationally. See intuition.ie