Bowel cancer is a nasty sickness that can affect your tummy area, and it is very common in Australia and New Zealand.
Unfortunately, many people don’t do the tests needed to find this cancer early. The sad part is that if we can catch it early, almost 95 out of 100 people can get better.
However, the good news is that scientists are working on ways to find this sneaky disease early and beat it.
Why Should We Find It Early?
The earlier we find this cancer, the better our chances of getting rid of it. But here’s a surprising fact: more than half of the people who should be checking for this cancer don’t.
Even more strange, some people who aren’t at big risk of getting bowel cancer are having a test called a colonoscopy, which they might not need.
What’s a Colonoscopy?
A colonoscopy is a test doctors use to look inside your bowels. It’s helpful, but it can be a bit uncomfortable, and we should save it for people who need it the most.
Do We Have Other Tests?
Yes, we do! In fact, people between the ages of 50 and 74 get a kit in the mail that lets them do a test at home.
It checks for signs of bowel cancer in your poo. Sounds funny, right? But it’s very important! Unfortunately, over half of these kits are never used.
What about Younger People?
The trouble is, we’re noticing that younger people are also getting bowel cancer more often.
So, we need a better way to figure out who should start testing earlier. This is where a group of smart scientists come in with a cool new tool.
The Importance of Risk-based Screening
The scientists thought, “Instead of only using a person’s age and family history, why don’t we also look at their lifestyle?”
They believe this can help decide who needs more tests. This idea is called “risk-based screening” and it’s like a smart guess about your chance of getting bowel cancer.
The New Smart Tool: CRISP
The smart tool the scientists made is called the “Colorectal cancer RISk Predictor” or “CRISP” for short.
It’s like an online quiz that asks about things like your diet, whether you smoke, how much you weigh, and even if you take certain medications.
Then, CRISP tells you your chance of getting bowel cancer and suggests the best kind of test for you.
Why is CRISP So Cool?
CRISP is great because it looks at you as an individual, not just as part of a large group of people. It helps to make sure you get the right test for your risk level.
And the scientists found that when people used CRISP, they were more likely to do the tests they needed.
Can I Use CRISP?
Absolutely! Although CRISP was made for doctors, anyone can use it online. You can take the CRISP quiz and share the results with your doctor.
This way, you both can decide on the best plan for you. By using CRISP, we can make sure that everyone gets the right test at the right time. So, we can sneak up on bowel cancer before it sneaks up on us!
If you care about cancer, please read studies about supplements that may increase cancer risk, and can vitamin D help prevent or treat cancer.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing the Keto diet may improve blood sugar in cancer patients.
The study was published in the British Journal of General Practice.
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