Some health workers at Health NZ public hospitals and services are planning to strike on Thursday 23 October to 7am on Friday 24 October.
Emergency departments will be open for emergencies only. For more information:
Some health workers at Health NZ public hospitals and services are planning to strike on Thursday 23 October to 7am on Friday 24 October.
Emergency departments will be open for emergencies only. For more information:
The bowel is part of the food digestive system. It joins the stomach to the anus (bottom) and helps waste material (poo) to leave the body. The bowel is made up of the small bowel, large bowel (colon) and rectum. Bowel cancer develops when abnormal cells in the colon or rectum grow in an uncontrolled way. The cells can form small growths called polyps, which can turn into cancer over time. Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world.
There may be no warning signs that you have bowel cancer.
Common symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
These symptoms can be caused by conditions other than cancer. However, it is important to get them checked with your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
The risk factors for bowel cancer are:
Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean you will develop bowel cancer. Other risk factors that may increase your risk of bowel cancer that you can change are:
Bowel cancer may be identified after a:
If you have symptoms, the first test to check for bowel cancer is usually a colonoscopy.
If bowel cancer is diagnosed, additional tests may be done to find out if the cancer has spread anywhere else on the body and the stage of the disease. These tests are usually a CT or an MRI scan.
There is no certain way to prevent bowel cancer.
The most common risk are things you cannot change (like growing older).
You can reduce the risk of bowel cancer developing by:
Getting a bowel screening test every 2 years, starting at age 60 until the age of 74, is the best thing you can do to find bowel cancer early.
National Bowel Screening Programme
See your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of bowel cancer such as:
Treatment for bowel cancer depends on:
If you are found to have bowel cancer you will be referred to a specialist.
The main treatment for bowel cancer is usually surgery. In some cases, chemotherapy (medicines to destroy cancer cells) or radiotherapy (radiation to destroy cancer cells) may be recommended.
It is important to take care of yourself when you have cancer. Try to:
Once someone has been diagnosed with cancer, we know there are some difficult days ahead. No matter where you are on the cancer pathway, there is always someone to connect with for support.
There are local services available to help make things easier for you and your whānau, and support groups.
Support we offer — Cancer Societyexternal link
There are a number of benefits of belonging to a support group.
Support and rehabilitation — Te Aho o Te Kahu - Cancer Control Agencyexternal link