Bowel Screening Programme detects 89 cancers in Northland in three years

Te Tai Tokerau Bowel Screening Team Kylah Pere Health Promotion lead and Keri Edge Programme Manager, promoting the service at this year’s Waipu Easter Carnival. The programme has just celebrated a successful three years in the region

When the National Bowel Screening Programme was finally introduced to Northland three years ago, it was expected to detect up to 44 cases of the cancer in the region at an early stage so the sufferer had a good chance of survival.

And after three years, the programme is being hailed as a success, with the Te Tai Tokerau Bowel Screening Programme credited with saving lives across the region.

Since it was launched in the Far North on November 2, 2001, 35,000 test kits have been returned and 89 bowel cancers detected. Over half of these cancers were found at an early stage when they can often be successfully treated.

The National Bowel Screening Programme offered free bowel screening to around 36,000 Northlanders, potentially detecting 44 cancers, with eligible people aged 60 to 74 being sent an invitation to screen every two years.

Invitations would arrive around the participant’s birthday, with half of Northlanders being invited in the first 12 months of the programme, and the other half in the year following.

Those eligible received a simple test in the mail which they complete at home and mail back for laboratory testing. If a test result is positive, they may be invited for a colonoscopy at Whangārei or Kaitāia Hospital to further investigate.

General manager surgical and perioperative Services Katy Wilkinson says each bowel screening kit returned is an opportunity to save lives.

People who are diagnosed with bowel cancer, and receive treatment at an early stage, have a 90% chance of long-term survival, compared to around a 10% chance if picked up late.

“Free bowel screening is available nationwide to people aged 60 to 74, with kits delivered to your home every two years. Doing the test is quick and easy. When you get your bowel screening kit, just do it, and send it in,” Wilkinson said.

Bowel screening test kits have been sent out to thousands of Northlanders since the Te Tai Tokerau Bowel Screening Programme was launched in the region three years ago

She said that of the over 35,000 kits returned since the start of the programme in Te Tai Tokerau, there have been about 1500 positive results, resulting in over 1150 colonoscopies and the detection of 89 bowel cancers.

”Over 50% of the cancers detected were early stage, meaning lives are being saved and some whānau have been spared the loss of a parent, grandparent or other loved one. For those who test positive, follow-up care – including colonoscopies – is offered. As well as finding bowel cancer, colonoscopies can detect and remove bowel polyps, which are not cancers but may develop into a cancer over several years,” she said.

Kylah Pere is the health promoter lead for the Te Tai Tokerau Bowel Screening Programme. She works with the community, talking about the importance of early detection and encouraging eligible people to take part in free bowel screening.

“When we visit communities, we often meet families who have lost someone to bowel cancer,” Pere said.

”Hearing their stories is heart-wrenching, especially knowing that early detection could have changed everything. I remind people that this test isn’t just for them – it’s for their whānau, their tamariki, their mokopuna. By completing the bowel screening test, they’re giving their loved ones the best chance of having them around for years to come.”

A Northlander, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer through the programme, underwent surgery and is grateful to be alive.

”I will be forever grateful to the bowel screening test team for their reminders and encouraging me to do the test. Who knows what my situation would be without their persistence. I now advise everyone not to ignore the kit when it arrives,” the patient, who did not want to be named, said.

Wilkinson said she’s incredibly proud of the progress the bowel screening programme has made over the past three years.

“The programme not only aims to save lives, but also to empower individuals to take control of their health, supporting a healthier future for Te Tai Tokerau.”

Nationally, more than 1.2 million test kits have been returned resulting in more than 36,000 colonoscopies and the detection of more than 2,600 cancers. Northland was one of the last regions in the country to receive the programme.

The Te Tai Tokerau Bowel Screening team will be at the Bay of Islands Pastoral & Industrial Show with a giant inflatable bowel giving out information and advice

■ Bowel cancer is the most common form of cancer in New Zealand with more than 3000 cases and 1200 deaths a year.

■ It’s also one of the most treatable forms of cancer but it has to be caught early. Don’t sit on your symptoms – see your doctor. The cure rate is 90% in the early stages.

■ Symptoms include bleeding from the bottom or blood in the toilet after a bowel motion; a change of bowel motions over several weeks without a return to normal; pain in the abdomen; a lump or mass in the abdomen; tiredness and loss of weight for no obvious reason; and anaemia.

■ People with a family history of bowel cancer should be extra vigilant and discuss any concerns with their GP.

■ Regular exercise, quitting smoking, and a diet high in fruit, vegetables and fibre (but low in red meat and processed foods) reduce the risk.

■ New Zealand’s lowest bowel cancer rate is in Counties Manukau. The highest is in South Canterbury. The Northland rate is above the national average.

■ By ethnicity, Pākehā/Europeans have the highest bowel cancer rate. The rate for Māori is significantly lower and for Pasifika and Asian peoples lower still.

■ Northland joined the National Bowel Screening Programme in 2021. The free tests, which are conducted through the mail, will be offered every two years to people aged 60-74. The programme offers free bowel screening to around 36,000 Northlanders, potentially detecting 44 cancers in the first year.

To find out more about the National Bowel Screening Programme visit timetoscreen.nz, free phone 0800 924 432 or talk to your GP or Māori Health Provider.