By JESSE GRAHAM
RESIDENTS are being urged not to fall behind with regular bowel cancer screenings and to take advantage of a Rotary program running next month.
The Rotary Club of Healesville and of Upper Yarra will both be working in partnership with local pharmacies throughout May to offer a $10 bowelscan bowel cancer screening test.
The test kit is available at Warburton, Yarra Junction, Woori Yallock and Healesville pharmacies, and is a self-testing kit, which uses stool samples over four days.
Doctor and Rotary Club of Healesville member, Ian Tinney, said that all people, particularly those over the age of 50, should get yearly scans to detect potential signs of cancer.
“Lives will be saved purely because of this (test),” Dr Tinney said.
The test aims to detect bowel cancer and colorectal polyps, and is returned by residents to pharmacies after being completed – results are then delivered shortly afterwards to the residents, free-of-charge.
Rotary Club of Upper Yarra member Paul Coleman said the tests turned up a positive result last year, though this ended up being a minor polyp and not a cancer diagnosis.
Mr Coleman said that the test offered “cheap insurance” and gave residents the chance for early detection of a potentially life-threatening condition.
“It’s a good thing – early detection is the way to go,” he said.
“For the price of it, it’s cheap insurance.”
In its early stages, bowel cancer has no symptoms, and is only detectable by screening methods, though symptoms can later be apparent.
Residents can pick up the $10 tests from participating pharmacies in Healesville, Warburton, Yarra Junction and Woori Yallock.
For more information, call Healesville Rotary president Rae Church on 5962 5164.
For more information on bowel cancer, visit www.bowelcanceraustralia.org.
