Bowel cancer: Less than half of screening kits sent to Lakes residents returned

Almost half of bowel cancer screening kits sent to eligible Lakes residents have not been returned, Health New Zealand data shows.

It comes as a Rotorua Stage 4 bowel cancer survivor has encouraged recipients to do the free tests that “could be a lifesaver”.

The National Bowel Screening Programme was introduced in the Lakes district in February 2019 after it started rolling out nationally in July 2017.

People are invited to join the programme at age 60 then sent a free home test kit every two years until age 74.

The Government is gradually lowering the eligibility age to 58, to be in effect nationwide by March.

The Rotorua Daily Post previously reported Health NZ data showed 56.8% of bowel cancer screening kits sent to eligible Lakes residents between February 2019 and June 2022 were returned.

More recent data has shown a decline in the participation rate, with 54.3% of kits returned.

The data - received under the Official Information Act - showed 27,694 kits were sent between August 1, 2022, and May 26, 2025.

Of those, 15,039 were returned.

When broken down by ethnicity, fewer than half of the kits sent to Māori (43%), Pasifika (39.6%), and Asian (41.4%) people were returned.

The data showed 18 cancers were detected during this time, and 13 surgeries were done to remove bowel cancer.

Health NZ noted this may include people who had surgery who did not have their cancer detected via a screening kit, and that some patients may have had surgery in another district, or privately.

Patients who chose chemotherapy treatment would not be recorded in surgery numbers.

Rotorua bowel cancer survivor Matthew Keogan is encouraging eligible residents to return their free bowel cancer screening kits. Photo / Ben Fraser

Rotorua bowel cancer survivor Matthew Keogan said it was an “okay” overall participation rate, “but we could do better”.

Keogan said the Māori, Pacific peoples, and Asian participation rates were “concerning”.

“I’d rather know and get treated than sort of wait until it’s too late.”

Keogan was 49 when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer in 2021. After chemotherapy and immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), he made a miraculous recovery.

Being diagnosed at Stage 3 and 4 was entering “really murky territory” with survival rates, he said.

“It’s sort of just the luck of the draw, really. And I’m lucky to be on the good side of it whereas I’ve heard a lot of people who aren’t.”

He encouraged people to be aware of their body and to see a GP if they had any symptoms.

For those eligible to be tested, “just do it”.

“It takes five minutes to do, and it could be a lifesaver.”

Bowel cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer death in NZ, killing about three Kiwis every day. One in 10 Kiwis diagnosed are aged under 50.

Bowel Cancer NZ said new research showed one in four adults surveyed could not name a bowel cancer symptom.

Chief executive Peter Huskinson said symptom awareness was the “strongest line of defence” with screening currently limited to those aged 58 and older.

“Acting early, before symptoms become severe, can mean the difference between a treatable diagnosis at the GP and a late-stage emergency presentation.

“That free test in your mailbox doesn’t just detect cancer - it can stop it before it starts,” he said.

“Don’t leave it in a drawer. Put it by the loo and get it done.”

Bowel cancer symptoms:

• Bleeding from the bottom or in your poo
• A persistent change in bowel habits
• Ongoing, periodic, or severe abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss or fatigue
• A lump or swelling in the abdomen

Source: Bowel Cancer NZ

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.