Northland bowel screening programme will save lives - Health Minister

Pitotori (Peter) Naera, Northland Bowel Screening Programme Champion, and Stuart Selkirk, Northland DHB Health Promotion Lead for the Northland Bowel Screening Programme that launched this month.

The rollout of the National Bowel Screening Programme in Northland will save lives, Health Minister Andrew Little says.

With Northland rolling out the programme at the start of November, the bowel-cancer screening programme is now available across most of the country, Little said.

Up to 44 Northland cases of cancer could be detected with the programme, which will offer free bowel screening to around 36,000 Northlanders. Eligible people aged 60 to 74 will be sent an invitation to screen every two years.

Invitations will arrive around the participant's birthday, with half invited in the first 12 months of the programme, and the other half in the year following.

Those eligible will receive 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 Kaitaia Hospital to further investigate.

"In Budget 2021, we set aside an extra $50.6 million over four years to make sure the programme covers the whole country," Little said.

"In August it was extended to Taranaki, and I am very pleased to say that it is in Northland too."

Extending the bowel-cancer screening programme across the country would save lives, he said.

"New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the developed world," he said.

"It is the second-most-common cause of cancer in New Zealand, killing as many people a year as breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

"In 2017, more than 1,200 New Zealanders died from it. The screening programme increases the chances of survival by detecting cancers early."

So far, nationally, more than 1,100 people have had cancers detected, with hundreds more having potentially cancerous polyps removed.

"In Northland, there are 36,000 people in the eligible age range of 60 to 74, and 44 cancers are expected to be detected in the first year," Little said.

"We know that Northland has some particular health challenges. Many communities are isolated, which can make it difficult for people to get the healthcare they need.

"We also know that Māori and Pacific people are likely to have bowel cancer diagnosed later than other groups, leading to higher death rates. In Northland, a third of the population is Māori, making the screening programme extra important.''

Bowel Screening Programme manager for Northland Carolyn Jones said bowel cancer is often curable if it is picked up in the early stages but chances decrease the longer it is left untreated.

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

Screening is for people who are not experiencing any symptoms of bowel cancer. It is important that people of any age with concerns about their bowel health should seek medical advice without delay.

"It is important that they talk to their GP or Māori health provider if they have any symptoms," Jones said.

Signs and symptoms of bowel cancer may include a change in your normal pattern of going to the toilet that continues for several weeks, or blood in your bowel motion.

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.