A really important symptom to look out for is new rectal bleeding when you pass a bowel movement. But anyone can buy a home testing kit if they’re concerned.
Mike Joy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington dan Michael Baker, University of Otago
Nitrate in drinking water has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. That could have implications for some parts of New Zealand where nitrate levels are high.
Stephanie Harrison, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Azmeraw Amare, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Jyoti Khadka, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Maria Carolina Inacio, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute; Sarah Bray, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, dan Tiffany Gill, University of Adelaide
As you age, your body deteriorates and your risk of disease and injury increases. Here’s a decade by decade guide to what you’re up against – and what you can do about it.
Jeanne Tie, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
We have no reliable way of knowing which patients’ cancer will return after surgery, so often chemotherapy is given to mop up any remaining cancer cells that may have gone undetected.
A colonoscopy is usually done to diagnose bowel cancer. It is an invasive procedure with risks such as bowel perforation. It’s important to only have the test if you’re likely to benefit.
A cancer is in remission when it can no longer be detected. But we only say it’s cured when it hasn’t come back for a certain time – and that differs for different cancers.
The growing list of alcohol-related diseases includes bowel cancers, mouth and oesophageal cancers, breast cancers, heart disease, respiratory infections and mental health problems.
The study showed that every 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed food was linked to a 12% increase in developing some types of cancers. But it didn’t show the processed food caused cancers.
Peter Gibbs, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
There are currently few effective and non-invasive methods to screen for early stages of cancer. But scientists have now developed a new blood test that promises to detect eight different cancers.
Obesity is linked with a host of health outcomes. Both a disease itself and a risk factor linked to many others, we explore the linkages between obesity and cancer.
I recently had a colonoscopy, an invasive medical procedure to examine the bowel, and was hugely relieved to get the all-clear. I posted a description of my experience to my friends on Facebook and got…