THE importance of screening for bowel cancer will be the focus of the Rotary Bowelscan campaign launch at the Donald Simpson Community Centre on Wednesday, May 10.
Bowel cancer survivor and Rotarian, Gordon Plowman said the campaign promoted awareness of screening and made kits available at pharmacies and online.
Rotary Bowelscan is a not-for-profit community service that runs annually with test kits available at $15 from pharmacies for six weeks from May 1.
Mr Plowman said the easy-to-use Bowelscan test kits were available from all pharmacies in Cleveland and most in the Redlands.
“The main purpose of the kits is to find polyps before they develop into a cancer,” he said.
“Bowel cancer can strike anyone, but it is 90 per cent curable if detected early.”
Last year about 220 kits were bought through Cleveland pharmacies, while Rotary distributed about 3000 throughout Queensland.
Mr Plowman said across the state last year the project returned 260 positive results where further investigation by a general practitioner was recommended.
“From previous experience we know that some of these will be medical conditions other than cancer-causing-polyps but will still need medical follow-up.
“Many of these tests indicate the possible existence of polyps which are then verified by a follow-up colonoscopy. Removing polyps removes a possible cancer causing agent,” he said.
“A small percentage of positives will probably be verified as cancerous and require medical intervention.”
Rotary Bowelscan was developed in 1982 in NSW by Rotarian Dr Bill Brand to provide a low cost, easy-to-use diagnostic test for bowel cancer.
The launch at the Donald Simpson Centre in Bloomfield Street, Cleveland starts at 3.30pm, with refreshments served from 3pm.
For information on the campaign, or to buy a kit online at a cost of $17.50, see bowelscanqueensland.org.au.