Cancer Council Victoria launch new bowel cancer campaign

Cancer Council has launched a new campaign urging all eligible Victorians aged 50-74 to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

The Cancer Council Victoria and Victorian Department of Health initiative features the inspiring story of Laurie Cronin, whose life was saved by doing the free bowel screening test.

The father of two was only 52 with no symptoms when the bowel screening came in the mail in 2021, so he put it away until his wife strongly encouraged him to complete it.

To Mr Cronin’s surprise, the test came back positive and after further testing, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

“I would have been dead by now if I hadn’t done the test, the cancer could have spread quickly based on where it was located and there would have been nothing the doctors could have done for me,” he said.

“I look back on everything I have been able to do because I did the test, including seeing my daughter graduate, celebrating 30 years of marriage with my wife, taking a road trip with my son, going fishing and watching footy with my mates.

“I urge everyone to do their bowel screening test as soon as they get it.”

Laurie’s latest checkup in June 2023 showed he is now cancer free.

Recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data suggests only half (43.9 per cent) of eligible Victorians aged 50-74 participated in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) in 2020-2021, down three percent from 2019-2020 data.

It also coincides with concerning figures from the Victorian Cancer Registry which reported 3,800 fewer cancer diagnoses than what was expected in Victoria over 2020 and 2021.

The greatest decline in missed cancer diagnoses occurred in bowel cancer.

To learn more about bowel screening or to reorder a replacement test kit, head to cancervic.org.au/bowel