Bowelscan - Saving lives in our local community

Cancer of the bowel is the most common internal cancer to affect men and women in western society. Over 9,000 Australians will be diagnosed as having bowel cancer this year and over 4,500 will die of the disease.

Bowelscan is an initiative of Rotary to reduce the number of lives lost to bowel cancer.  Bowelscan is a Community awareness program developed in 1982 in New South Wales and now supported by over 300 Rotary Clubs across Australia.

Bowelscan kits are affordable, ($15) easy to use and include pathology testing by accredited pathologists (Clinical Genomics).  The kits are distributed by members of our Club to pharmacies in Osborne Park and adjacent suburbs.

The programme runs during one month every year (usually May) to raise the awareness of the risks of bowel cancer and to encourage Australians most at risk (those aged over 40) to take the annual test.

With the support of hundreds of pharmacies throughout Australia, the programme distributes Bowelscan testing kits to local communities, giving people the opportunity to test themselves early and regularly enough to have a fighting chance at survival.

Rotary Clubs issue approximately 150,000 kits during their annual Colorectal Screening programs each year.  Since Bowelscan commenced, it is estimated that more than 1,000 people with bowel cancer and 5,000 with polyps have been detected.

Additional information is available on the Bowelscan website  or can be obtained by contacting our co-ordinator, Lou Marchesani on 0412 067 516 or by email at  cma1532@bigpond.net.au