What are the early signs of bowel cancer? And how can young Australians get tested for it?
Australia is in the unenviable position of having the highest rates of bowel cancer in people under 50 in the world.
The perception it is an 'older person's disease' is being overturned. Rates in those over 50 have declined in Australia, while early-onset cases in people under 50 are rising by up to 8% a year.
It is the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 44, and the risk of being diagnosed in Australia under the age of 40 has more than doubled since 2000.
Experts say they still do not know what has prompted Australians born in the 1990s to be diagnosed at three times the rate of those born in the 1950s.
Nevertheless, they say it's important to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms among young people which are often easily dismissed.
The most common signs and symptoms of early-onset bowel cancer are blood in the stool, abdominal pain, a change in bowel habits and unexplained weight loss.
Bowel Cancer Australia says people should not delay talking to their GP if they are experiencing any of these symptoms for two weeks or more – when diagnosed early, almost 99% of cases can be successfully treated. Although many of the symptoms are common to multiple health concerns, Bowel Cancer Australia urges people not to accept 'you're too young to have bowel cancer' as an explanation for symptoms, and to ask for further investigations.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
A colorectal surgeon and Bowel Cancer Australia's medical director, Associate Prof Graham Newstead, says some people experience no symptoms. The most obvious symptoms tend to emerge as the growth in the bowel from polyp to cancer becomes large enough to partially block the bowel. Thisresults in a change in bowel habit 'that's more than the dinner you ate last night upsetting you'.
There are key barriers to early detection – a lack of symptom awareness and stigma among them. Bowel Cancer Australia's chief executive, Julien Wiggins, says the organisation has tried to overcome people's 'taboo around checking their poo'by partnering with Kleenex to create a roll that reminds them to do so.
Screening is able to detect small amounts of blood in the stool which has leaked from growths in the bowel – even if you can't see it yourself.
The government's national screening program sends at-home test kits to in the mail to every Australian every two years starting from age 50. That runs up until age 74. Since July 2024, 45- to 49-year-olds can opt in to request the test for free, and then will start receiving it every two years.
People aged 40 to 44 can go to their GP and request a test. For people under 40, tests have to be bought out of pocket but Bowel Cancer Australia is advocating for lowering the screening age in response to the increasing rates of bowel cancer in younger people.
If a test comes back positive, or people notice any other symptoms such as a lump or swelling in the abdomen or extreme tiredness for no reason, they should follow up with a GP who can refer them to get a colonoscopy.
Age, family history, hereditary conditions and personal health history can all influence bowel cancer risk – they're known as 'non-modifiable' risk factors because they cannot be changed.
There are also modifiable risk factors which can be controlled, including diet and lifestyle choices, as well as screening and surveillance.
Alcohol, smoking, eating too much red meat or processed meats and having increased body fat are known to increase risk.
One study of more than 540,000 women has found that each 20g of alcohol a day – about the amount found in a large glass of wine – was linked to a 15% higher risk of bowel cancer, while each 30g of red and processed meat a day was linked to an 8% increase in risk of the disease.
That same study found each daily 300mg of calcium, about the amount found in half a pint of milk, was associated with a 17% lower risk of bowel cancer – the same decrease Bowel Cancer Australia says is associated with eating at least 90g of wholegrains a day, such as brown rice or wholemeal bread. Recreational physical activity can reduce risk of colon (not rectal) cancer by 16%.
Bowel Cancer Australia recommends including dairy products such as low-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese in your daily diet, or considering calcium supplements if you are lactose-intolerant, as well as filling two-thirds or more of your plate with wholegrains, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts to get more dietary fibre.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Over a third of people on sinking Tuvalu seek Australia's climate visas
SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - More than one-third of the people in the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu, which scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, have applied for a landmark climate visa to migrate to Australia, according to official figures. Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations, Tapugao Falefou, told Reuters on Sunday he was "startled by the huge number of people vying for this opportunity", and the small community was interested to learn who the first lot of climate migrants would be. Tuvalu, one of the countries at greatest risk from climate change, which experts say is boosting sea levels, has a population of 11,000 on its nine atolls scattered across the Pacific between Australia and Hawaii. Since applications for Australia's visa lottery opened this month, 1,124 people have registered, with family members bringing the total seeking the visa to 4,052 under the bilateral climate and security treaty. Applications close on July 18, with an annual cap of 280 visas designed to ensure migration to Australia does not cause brain drain from Tuvalu, officials said when the treaty was announced in 2023. The visa will allow Tuvalu residents to live, work and study in Australia, accessing health benefits and education on the same basis as Australian citizens. "Moving to Australia under the Falepili Union treaty will in some way provide additional remittance to families staying back," Falefou said. By 2050, NASA scientists project daily tides will submerge half the main atoll of Funafuti, home to 60% of Tuvalu's residents, where villagers cling to a strip of land as narrow as 20 metres (65 feet). That forecast assumes a 1-metre rise in sea levels, while the worst case, double that, would put 90% of Funafuti under water. Tuvalu, whose mean elevation is just 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches), has experienced a sea-level rise of 15 cm (6 inches) over the past three decades, one and a half times the global average. It has built 7 hectares (17 acres) of artificial land, and is planning more, which it hopes will stay above the tides until 2100.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tragic update after young girl, 7, captured hearts across Australia with her brave cancer battle - and the heartbreaking four words she told her parents
A young girl who captivated the hearts of Australians during her cancer battle has died years later after relapsing. Uma Tomarchio was two years old when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2020, before it worsened to a more aggressive form of cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, in 2022. When her Italian parents, Giuseppe Tomarchio and Lucia Gardini, were unable to secure Medicare assistance for the then-four-year-old's treatments, they reached out to the media and public for help, with Aussies donating more than $300,000. In September that year, a successful bone marrow transplant meant she was largely cancer-free, until she was diagnosed again with Epstein-Barr Virus – potentially passed through donor cells – and then later with Lymphoma. After a gut-wrenching stint in intensive care and an induced coma, Uma began to regain her strength by February 2023 as a five-year-old. But in June this year, family friend Megan Mahon announced the young girl had died at seven-years-old. She had relapsed with therapy-related Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in May, and while undergoing chemotherapy, Uma developed a fast-moving lung infection which her immune system was too weak to fight. Ms Mahon said the fundraising and tireless work of her doctors had given Uma two fun-filled years of life before she relapsed with cancer for the fourth time. She revealed the heartbreaking message Uma gave her parents in her final days, saying she 'wanted to be free'. 'Two years ago, thousands of you came together in a remarkable show of kindness to save a little girl you'd never met,' Ms Mahon wrote on GoFundMe on Saturday. 'Uma Tomarchio, bright-eyed, pony-loving, full of life, was fighting a ferocious battle against cancer. You opened your hearts and gave her the chance to live.' 'They were two miraculous, beautiful, hard-won years. They were her soul's time to play, to love, to teach, and to shine.' When, on May 19, 2025, Uma relapsed for the fourth time, doctors moved quickly, starting treatment and preparing her body for a bone marrow transplant. Just three weeks in, Uma developed a rare and aggressive lung infection that her immune system – weakened by years of therapies – could not overcome. Ms Mahon wrote on the fundraiser she would like to help the family prepare for Uma's farewell. 'While nothing can ease the grief of losing a child, we want to give Uma the beautiful, unforgettable farewell she deserves, and ease the burden on her family, who have endured five years of unimaginable hardship,' she wrote. She is raising funds to cover Uma's outstanding medical costs and a memorial service. Ms Mahon raised the initial $300,000 sum for a life-saving bone marrow transplant for Uma. After successfully receiving the transplant, Uma was declared 'cancer-free' in late October 2022. Until in December, the family learned just before Christmas their little girl had Lymphoma. Uma had 'become unwell at the beginning of December' after receiving the bone marrow transplant just over a month earlier. 'She was admitted to hospital with a fever,' Ms Mahon said. 'Within days she had deteriorated and was sent to ICU with huge amounts of fluid and swollen lymph nodes in her neck.' Uma was put on dialysis as the fluid and toxins were drained from her body, according to Ms Mahon. The family spoke about the ordeal with Carrie Bickmore on Channel Ten's The Project in August 2022. 'She is a very sweet, very happy little girl she always smiles, even in the hospital when she is very sick, she always finds a way to smile,' Ms Gardini told Bickmore. 'One night she was very sick, vomiting and with a temperature and she just looked at me and said ''I'm not flying to the sky mum don't worry, I'm staying with you',' she said 'Even then, in that moment, she was trying to make me feel better.' The Project host, overcome with emotion, struggled to respond - managing a 'wow' as she choked back tears.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Calls for Australia-wide crackdown on real estate ads that use AI to hide faults and lure in renters
The New South Wales tenants union has called for nationwide reforms to crack down on misleading rental advertisements after the state government introduced new laws in response to the growing use of artificial intelligence in real estate. The legislation, announced on Sunday, will require mandatory disclosure when images in rental advertisements have been altered to conceal faults and mislead rental applicants. The state government cited examples of real estate agents using artificially generated furniture that showed a double bed in a bedroom that was only large enough to fit a single in listings, or digitally modifying photos to obscure property damage. The new laws aim to stop the unnecessary collection of personal information to protect renters' personal data. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email About a third of people in NSW rent their homes and the state government has estimated that about 187,000 pieces of identification information were collected from renters in the state every week, from requiring personal photos and social media account details to revealing the number of tattoos an applicant had. If the bill passes parliament, a standard rental application form will be introduced to clarify what information can and can not be collected. The chief executive of the Tenants' Union of NSW, Leo Patterson Ross, said 'all renters in Australia' should be granted these protections. 'This is an area of renting that has had almost no protection for renters at a time that they are often vulnerable and under pressure to find a new home,' said Ross, who helped consult on the bill. 'We have seen some progress on standardising application processes in other states but they haven't included consideration of the whole range of ways information is being collected or ensuring advertising is an authentic representation of the property on offer, or at least manipulation is disclosed.' Ross said the use of fake photography had become a 'growing frustration' for many amid the growth of AI and digital manipulation. 'Being misled into visiting a property that is not suitable is frustrating for prospective tenants and may mean they miss out on other properties,' he said. 'But it also risks inflating the rent itself by inflating the number of people who appear interested in a place and increasing pressure on someone to rush to put in an application or even offer above the advertised rent.' Ross said just as with AI or embedded networks, governments should look at other important information that may mislead or significantly alter people's interest in properties. 'Landlords could also be required to disclose at the advertising stage the age of the photos being used, the repairs and other compliance history, the energy efficiency performance … and provide floor plans for the property as well as current required disclosures,' he said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The minister for better regulation and fair trading, Anoulack Chanthivong, said renters were 'entitled to dignity and privacy when living in a rental property – and this extends to their personal information too'. 'These reforms are a very commonsense solution to a very real problem for people in the rental market, and I would love to see other states and territories follow NSW's lead,' he said. 'Regulation reform is an ongoing journey and of course we are always looking at options to improve protection for consumers in the property market.' Corporations for agents and landlords would be up for penalties of $49,500 if they broke the privacy rules, or $11,000 for individuals, under the new laws. Individuals would be imposed $5,500 fines or $22,000 for businesses for non-disclosure of misleading or altered photographs. The NSW rental commissioner, Trina Jones, said cyber breaches and data theft were a 'major privacy risk' to individuals and the businesses the collected and held information. 'There's a cyber breach reported in Australia every six minutes,' she said. 'Renters shouldn't have to trade away their privacy just to find a place to live.' The chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of NSW, Tim McKibbin, said for the purposes of real estate transactions, including residential rentals, there was often a necessity for agents to collect some personal information. But he said when that no longer existed, information should be deleted. He said uploading photography that didn't accurately represent the property was a 'false and misleading' practice.
