How you can lower your risk of bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in New Zealand.

We urge all New Zealanders aged between 60 and 74 to do the free bowel screening test every two years.

Bowel cancer is cancer in any part of the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum. It is sometimes called colorectal cancer.

Like the rest of your body, the bowel is made of tiny "building blocks" called cells.

Bowel cancer begins with the abnormal growth of these cells into lumps or tumours.

Most bowel cancer is adenocarcinoma which starts in the gland cells of the lining of the bowel.

Rarer types of bowel cancer include:

Signs or symptoms of bowel cancer may include

Bleeding from your bottom or blood in your poo
A recent change in your bowel motions: going to the toilet more often, diarrhoea, constipation or a feeling that your bowel does not empty completely
tummy pain, bloating and cramps
weight loss for no reason
tiredness or weakness (fatigue)
low blood count (anaemia)

Early-stage bowel cancer often has no symptoms.

Having these symptoms does not mean you have bowel cancer, but it is important to get any changes checked by your doctor.

make a list of what you are feeling and how often it happens, including as much detail as possible
think about your family/whānau history of cancer and tell your doctor
go back to your doctor if you don't feel better, even if tests show you don't have a problem - you can ask for a second opinion if you want one
take a family/whānau member or friend with you to the appointment for support

Like many types of cancer, we don’t always know why people get bowel cancer, but some things increase your risk.

Risk factors for bowel cancer include:

Getting older, most cases are found in people over 50 years old
smoking tobacco
being overweight or obese
drinking alcohol
not exercising often
having Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis for more than 10 years
history of bowel cancer in your family/whānau
rare genetic conditions such as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)