Disability support worker Megan Clayton was an unlikely candidate for bowel cancer.
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At the time of her diagnosis in March 2012, she was just 32 years old, the mother of two young girls, with no family history of the disease.
Ms Clayton had been suffering symptoms for about three years, but she believed her lack of risk factors meant doctors overlooked the prospect of the disease when trying to get to the root of her problems.
But eventually, after years of trying to resolve her health issues, a colonoscopy revealed Ms Clayton had stage three bowel cancer.
Warning signs
Ms Clayton knew something was wrong for some time before her diagnosis, recounting that a drink on her 30th birthday sent her straight to the toilet.
She said she often had irregular and unusual bowel movements, with blood and mucus sometimes present, but the major complaint was pain in her belly.
Her symptoms were classic warning signs for bowel cancer, which can include a recent, persistent change of bowel habit, such as looser bowel movements, constipation, or more frequent, smaller bowel movements.
A change in the appearance of bowel movements and blood in the stool or rectal bleeding are other common symptoms.
People with bowel cancer may also experience frequent gas pain, a feeling of fullness or bloating, a feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely after a bowel movement, tiredness, weakness or weight loss, rectal or anal pain, abdominal pain or swelling, or vomiting.
Ms Clayton said too often her problems were dismissed as symptoms of other causes.
But they failed to abate, so she persisted until she received her diagnosis of bowel cancer.
“It was a shock but a relief at the same time, because then I knew what was wrong, and now it was like ‘OK, now we can deal with it’," Ms Clayton said.
“A bit of both – not really a surprise, because I knew there was something wrong, but I just needed someone to have a look at me and tell me what it was.”
What followed was an intensive treatment regimen involving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, major surgery, and more chemotherapy.
Ms Clayton said she was extremely ill throughout her treatment but was well-supported by her sister, then-partner and colleagues.
She was given the all-clear within the year and while four years on she still has to undergo regular tests and check-ups, she is feeling fighting fit.
Ms Clayton said she was now healthy and happy, with a fresh appreciation for life.
“I’m just happier I guess, because I’ve come to realise life can be over in a second,” she said.
“I’m all about having fun now.”
On the rise
But Ms Clayton is one of the luckier ones.
Bowel cancer kills more Australians than any other cancer except lung and is expected claim more than 4000 lives this year.
It is also the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and while 90 per cent of cases can be treated successfully if found early, fewer than 40 per cent are detected early.
But it’s not all bad news – the bowel cancer mortality rate has declined, from about 30 deaths per 100,000 Australians in 2000, to a projected rate of about 13 deaths per 100,000 in 2018.
This has seen the survival rate increase from 48 per cent to 68 per cent, although it still lags far behind other common cancers.
Data mapped in the Bowel Cancer Australia Atlas shows the City of Greater Bendigo fell in the worst 25 per cent of municipalities in the state for premature deaths from bowel cancer between 2009 and 2013, with an average of 11.2 people per 100,000 dying early from the disease each year.
This was despite a relatively high rate of participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program which was above the national average.
Bowel Cancer Australia chief executive officer Julien Wiggins said a number of factors could have influenced this statistic, including an ageing population.
Mr Wiggins said age was a major risk factor for bowel cancer, with the risk doubling for people once they hit the age of 50 and only continuing to increase as they grew older.
A family history, as well as smoking, type two diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet low in dietary fibre and high in red and processed meat, and obesity are also risk factors.
Mr Wiggins said about 70 per cent of bowel cancer cases were linked to such lifestyle factors.
So there is room for improvement, with positive diet and lifestyle changes cutting the risk of contracting the disease.
Greater participation in the screening program could also have a positive impact on the mortality rate, Mr Wiggins said.
No one is immune
While age is one of the most significant risk factors, more than 1000 people under the age of 50 receive a diagnosis of bowel cancer each year, and the rate in younger people are rising, particularly for those between 30 and 40 years old.
Mr Wiggins said Ms Clayton’s long and frustrating road to diagnosis was a common story among younger sufferers.
He urged younger people to take heed of any symptoms and visit their doctor, and to continue chasing an answer if they did not feel well.
No one was too young to get bowel cancer, he said, a sentiment echoed by Ms Clayton.
“You know your own body, if you’re not happy with what the doctor says, get a second opinion, a third opinion, a tenth opinion if you need it,” she said.
“Keep going until you sort stuff out.”
Men and women aged 50, 55, 60, 64, 65, 70, 72 and 74 are currently invited to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, through which they receive a free screening kit to complete at home.
The test screens for traces of blood in the stool, which can indicate bowel cancer.
It is recommended people over the age of 50 undergo screening at least once every two years.
People not eligible for the free program can acquire a screening kit from a pharmacy, by visiting their GP, by calling 1800 555 494 or by visiting the Bowel Screen Australia website.