Bowel cancer screening a 'no-brainer'

Trish Cooney said many people did not know the symptoms of bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer survivor Trisha Cooney can see no reason the Government can't immediately start creating a national screening programme to expand early detection of the disease and its precursors.

"Like we have done in New Zealand with cervical cancer screening, to me it's just a no-brainer.

"Once you've got bowel cancer the cost on the health system must be huge. I was in and out of hospital so many times."

The Wellington 51-year-old is a primary care practice nurse and mother of two teenagers. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer early last year.

She had a bowel investigation called flexible sigmoidoscopy, then a colonoscopy in which the viewing and surgical tube goes further into the lower intestine.

A polyp was found, then a tumour, and Ms Cooney had major surgery in June last year.

Neither chemotherapy nor radiation therapy was considered necessary because the cancer had not spread through the bowel wall, but she did suffer significant complications from the surgery.

"In January and February I was in and out of hospital every two weeks with pain that was unimaginable. That was part of the settling-down process."

But now, nearly two years after diagnosis, Ms Cooney's life is back to a new kind of normal.

"It's really good. I saw my specialist the other day and he's really pleased; I'm really pleased."

She said many people did not know the symptoms of bowel cancer. They needed to know, and to seek medical help if they were experiencing any of them.