It is Australia's second most commonly diagnosed cancer and claims 77 lives each week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Even though bowel cancer is preventable and 15,000 Australians are diagnosed with the disease every year, it continues to have a low profile.
That low profile is something staff at the oncology unit at National Capital Private Hospital in Garran wants to change.
National Capital Private Hospital general surgeon Dr Siva Gananadha said ground-breaking research and technological development were crucial to the treatment and early detection of bowel cancer.
"Unlike many other cancers, bowel cancer is preventable which is why raising awareness and education, along with critical funds for research, is so important," he said.
"Major risk factors for bowel cancer include age, inherited genetic risk, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and smoking."
National Capital Private Hospital executive director Elizabeth Porritt said being at the coalface made staff acutely aware of the devastating impact of bowel cancer and it was important for the hospital to raise public awareness of the disease.
She said the oncology unit provided a range of services for patients at all stages of the disease.
"Some patients come prior to their surgery so they are best prepared for the surgery ahead when the bowel cancer is actually surgically removed," she said.
"Some patients will come after their surgery [when] the cancer has been removed just in case it spreads to anywhere else. They often come for further oncology and chemotherapy treatment to make sure they have the best chance of survival."
The hospital will this month be raising awareness and funds for Bowel Cancer Australia, with the oncology ward hosting a morning tea on Wednesday in support of Red Apple Day, which aims to raise funding for bowel cancer through apple-themed activities.
Ms Porritt said early detection was the best way to ensure a good prognosis for anybody with bowel cancer and it was important for people to know the signs regardless of their age.
"It's knowing your own family history, if you have a family history of it or if you've got any altered bowel habits, if you have more constipation and diarrhoea then normal or any abdominal pain while feeling bloated and full, you should seek advice from your GP," she said.
"It generally increases by the numbers after the ages of 50 but it's not uncommon for people in the early ages of 20 and 30 to get diagnosed with bowel cancer."
The hospital is currently undergoing a large expansion which will include the development of three additional operating theatres, an eight-bed intensive care unit and a coronary care unit which will include 14 extra beds.
Ten additional medical consulting suites will be built which will include a private suite for radiology and a range of acute care services.
The expansion is due to be finished later this year.
