Bowel cancer screening and prevention

Bowel cancer is the most commonly diagnosed internal cancer in Australia for men and women combined. It is also a leading cause of cancer related death with approximately 80 Australians dying from bowel cancer every week.

The best way to reduce your risk of bowel cancer is to:

• be physically active
• achieve and maintain a healthy body weight 
• limit alcohol intake 
• avoid smoking 
• limit your intake of red meat
• eat a healthy and balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables 
• participate in bowel cancer screening from the age of 50.  Screening can help prevent bowel cancer deaths by finding polyps and bowel cancers early when they can be more easily treated.

Queensland Bowel Cancer Screening Program

The Queensland Bowel Cancer Screening Program is part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to help detect bowel cancer early and reduce the number of Australians who die each year from the disease.

Who is eligible?

Australians turning 50, 55, 60 or 65 years, who hold a Medicare card or DVA card, are currently being invited by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to participate in screening.

From 2015, Australians turning 70 years of age will also be invited to participate in the program.

We recommend that all people aged 50 years and over with no symptoms be screened for bowel cancer every 2 years. If you are not currently eligible for the free screening program, speak to your doctor about obtaining a bowel cancer screening kit.

Bowel cancer screening test

People who are eligible for the national program (obtained from Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs enrolment records) will receive a bowel cancer screening kit by mail containing a Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT).

The test is quick and easy and involves taking a small sample from 2 bowel motions, in the privacy of your own home, which you then send to the laboratory for testing.

Participants will receive their results in the mail:

• Positive test (i.e. blood is found in the bowel motion): participants are advised to contact their doctor for referral for follow up assessment, such as colonoscopy.
• Negative test (i.e. no blood is found in the bowel motion): no further investigation at this time.

Bowel changes

Changes to your bowels can indicate a number of health conditions including bowel cancer. The symptoms of bowel cancer include:

• blood in stools
• changes in regular bowel habits
• unexplained tiredness
• anaemia
• persistent or unusual abdominal pain.

It is important to see your doctor if you notice changes to your normal bowel habits that last 2 weeks or longer, especially if you notice blood in your stools.

Contact us

FOBT kit

To order a replacement FOBT kit or for general information about the national program, call the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Information Line on 1800 118 868.

For help using the FOBT kit, call the Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) Helpline on 1300 738 365.

General information

For general information about the program in Queensland, email cssb@health.qld.gov.au or visit the Queensland Bowel Cancer Screening Program website.

Cancer Council

Cancer Council provides a confidential service where you can talk about your concerns or questions about cancer with specially trained staff. The staff can send you written information and can put you in touch with services in your local area.