Ramsay Newsroom

Every June, Bowel Cancer Awareness Month aims to raise awareness of Australia’s second deadliest cancer, and generate funds for research, prevention and quality care and treatment for those diagnosed with the disease. 

Bowel cancer claims the lives of 101 Australians every week, but it's one of the most treatable types of cancer if found early. 

Albury Wodonga Private Hospital’s colorectal surgeon Dr Daniel Chubb said while the thought of bowel cancer testing may be daunting for some, it’s important to remember that early detection greatly improves a patient’s chance of survival. 

 “It’s so important that people do the national bowel cancer screen and then have a colonoscopy if they get a positive result. If they’re showing any red flag symptoms, such as changes in bowel habits or bleeding, they should consult their local doctor. Those with a family history that they are worried about should also discuss screening options with their GP,” Dr Chubb said 

“If you are diagnosed with bowel cancer, don’t be afraid of the big operations of the past, they’re nowhere near as scary as they used to be. Now we have minimally invasive techniques where the scar may be 3-4 centimetres, not 20-30 centimetres, and there is a much quicker hospital stay and road to recovery,” he said. 

During keyhole surgery, the camera is inserted into the patient’s abdomen and the images are projected onto a large TV screen to guide the surgeon.  

“There are lots of good things with this technology, particularly for the patient’s recovery. There are fewer hernia and less pain after the operation, and the patient gets home more quickly,” Dr Chubb said. 

In a first for the Albury Wodonga region, Dr Chubb recently performed bowel cancer surgery on a woman using the new 1688 AIM 4K Stryker camera platform, which can utilize an infra-red camera coupled with a visible light camera to produce a hybrid display, allowing the surgeon to be able to assess blood flow in critical tissue in real time during an operation. This aims to improve outcomes for bowel cancer patients. An anaesthetist injects a fluorescent dye at the critical time during the procedure, which will highlight areas and allow the surgeon to select healthy tissue to reconnect the bowel once a  cancer is removed. 

“Our first case went really well. The lady had rectal cancer and we did a 90-minute operation with very small cuts, so she was able to go home after two days and started chemotherapy three weeks earlier than she would have with an open operation,” he said. 

Australian health guidelines state people aged 50 - 74 should be screened for bowel cancer every two years.