Paul Blears underwent surgery in December to remove a cancerous tumour. Photo / Andrew Warner
It has been another busy and interesting year in our region. We revisit some of our most popular premium stories from 2023. Originally published on February 20.
Paul Blears has “the rest of my life to look forward to” because he did his bowel cancer screening test.
The 72-year-old Tauranga man was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year but had “absolutely no symptoms”.
Finding out was a “hell of a shock” but after undergoing surgery to remove the cancerous tumour, he is now cancer-free.
Blears is now encouraging others to do the screening, as doing his “absolutely” saved his life.
His story comes as data from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand shows just over 50 per cent of screening kits sent to eligible Bay of Plenty residents as part of the National Bowel Screening Programme have been returned.
The data - received under the Official Information Act - showed 17,576 bowel cancer screening kits were sent between May 2, 2022, and January 6, 2023.
Of those, 8848 kits have been returned.
The data showed 425 tests were positive, however, a positive result does not necessarily indicate bowel cancer. Positive tests mean further investigation is required, usually by having a colonoscopy.
Twenty-two cancers were detected by colonoscopies and 17 surgeries were completed to remove bowel cancer during that time.
The National Bowel Screening Programme was introduced in Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty in May 2022. It was the last of the former 20 district health boards to introduce it after the programme started in July 2017.
Bowel cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in New Zealand and the programme is designed to identify early signs of change to the bowel.
Detection allows for earlier treatment which will reduce the number of people presenting with advanced or non-curable cancer.
The programme is offered to people aged between 60 and 74, however, in Budget 2022, the programme was extended to cover Māori and Pacific people aged 50 to 74.
In September, Blears asked Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty when he would receive his screening kit. He was told he was not scheduled until January 2024.
Blears told them he was “not prepared” to wait that long and he was sent a kit in the mail.
He did the test and posted it back straight away. Two days later, he got a call from his GP saying he had tested positive.
“I had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever.”
He said finding out was “a hell of a shock”.
“You start thinking about end of life, you know, what do I want to do?”
He was referred for a colonoscopy at Tauranga Hospital where a cancerous tumour was found. He had surgery at the beginning of December to have it removed.
“The treatment I got was absolutely exemplary.”
Two weeks later, he got a call saying the cancer had been “self-contained”. He is cancer-free and will continue to have follow-ups to ensure he stays that way.
However, he was concerned about what could have happened if he had not insisted on getting a kit sent earlier than January 2024.
“My cancer would have spread, my prognosis would have been markedly different from today.”
Blears said he was disturbed by the percentage of returned screening kits in the Bay of Plenty.
“It’s very easy to stick your head in the sand and think, ‘well I’m alright. I haven’t got any symptoms, I’m not bleeding and I’m in no pain’. But there could be a cancer there.”
Blears said he understood why some people might abhor doing the test.
“If it could save your life, if it can save you from having to go through the rigours of chemo then hell, why not?”
Blear said doing his screening kit “absolutely” saved his life.
“I’ve got the rest of my life to look forward to now ... Be like me, catch it early.”
In response to Blears’ comments, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand national bowel screening programme clinical lead Dr Susan Parry said before a district started bowel screening, checks were done to ensure everything was in place, including workforce, pathways, and colonoscopy capacity.
“When a district commences delivery of bowel screening, the initial invitations are phased across a two-year period to ensure that the colonoscopies arising as a result of screening can be scheduled within the necessary timeframes.
“This approach helps to ensure that there is no disruption to the scheduling of symptomatic colonoscopies, which also remain a high priority.”
Subsequent rounds of screening would be scheduled in a sustainable pattern, she said.
Parry said this type of initial invitation strategy, which determined the ongoing pattern of screening, was typical of programmes internationally.
Participants of the national bowel screening programme are screened every two years, with half the population being invited in the first year and the other half in the second. This was determined by birth dates - odd-dated birthdates one year, and even-dated the other.
Parry said the first round of screening in the Bay resulted in people with an even birthdate being invited between May 2022 and April 2023. Those with an odd birthday would receive an invitation between May 2023 and April 2024.
Anyone within the eligible age range at the time screening started would be invited, even if they had since moved out of the age range.
“Bowel cancer usually grows slowly over a number of years, and it can take a long time before the cancer grows and spreads to other parts of the body. That’s why regular bowel screening is important – it can help find cancers early, when they are easier to treat.”
Anyone experiencing bowel symptoms or with concerns about bowel cancer is encouraged to speak to their doctor, rather than wait for their bowel screening kit, Parry said.
Symptoms may include a change in normal bowel habits that continues for several weeks and blood in your bowel motion.
“Although these symptoms are usually caused by other conditions, it’s important to get them checked by your doctor.”
Additionally, information received under the Official Information Act from Te Whatu Ora said all people who received kits that were not returned were contacted by the national centre and the local team.
Invitations were sent out to people enrolled with a GP in the Bay. Once a person accepted, they received a sampling kit.
Kits had a limited time to be returned, so staff knew when to follow up with participants to complete their screening.
“Participation in the programme is currently at 58 per cent nationally, indicating that there is still work to be undertaken to ensure that as many people as possible take advantage of the screening programme,” the information said.
Te Whatu Ora had a “strong commitment” to growing participation rates. It was also committed to equity, ensuring Māori, Pacific people and people who had challenges accessing the programme received additional support.
His ratings have probably improved since the CCO reforms, says the mayor.