Bowel Cancer Screening

Who should do your screening colonoscopy?

Bowel cancer Screening

Screening saves up to 500 lives annually, and significantly reduces the burden of bowel cancer on Australians and their families.

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) posts a free test kit to eligible men and women aged 50–74 years every 2 years to test for early signs of bowel cancer. With this test, stool is tested for the presence of trace amounts of blood. Those who return a positive result are recommended to undergo a colonoscopy within 30 days.

Colonoscopy for a positive test

Having a positive result does not mean that you have a colon cancer. It however puts you in a higher risk group of patient, who will benefit from a colonoscopy. It is recommended to get colonoscopy done in 30 days after a positive result.

Colonoscopy is the best test known to us for detection and removal of colonic polyps. Most of the bowel cancers develop in a polyp, hence it is imperative to have them detected and removed timely.

Who should do your screening colonoscopy?

Screening colonoscopy demands a careful, thorough and robust examination of the colon. It is an opportunity to find small polyps which are early in the course and may be located in parts of colon which are difficult to visualise. If done without due diligence, there is a risk of missing polyps, hence putting the patient at risk of colorectal cancer.

Gastroenterologists are specialists who receive quite extensive training in endoscopy. We recommend that you get your screening colonoscopy with a gastroenterologist.

Secondly to ensure you are getting the best specialist, you should ask your gastroenterologist for their KPIs (key performance indicators). KPIs is a measure of how good they are in performing colonoscopy and detecting pre-cancerous polyps. Ask Dr Fazal for his KPIs when you see him for a consult.

If you have returned a positive FOB test, Request an Appointment to organise a colonoscopy as soon as possible.