Broken Promise, Lost Lives: Government’s Bowel Cancer Screening Pledge 98% Undelivered

Bowel Cancer New Zealand (NZ) is calling for urgent Government action this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. It warns that the delay in delivering a promised screening age reduction results in over 350 preventable cancers, and 80 people losing their lives every year.

Despite a 2023 election pledge from Christopher Luxon and the Health Minister to lower the screening age from 60 to 45 to match Australia, just 2% of that commitment has been delivered. More than 900,000 New Zealanders remain without access to the screening that is standard care across the Tasman— a tool proven to detect cancer earlier and save lives.

Bowel Cancer NZ has presented the Government with a clinically backed, affordable proposal to protect one million more New Zealanders by lowering the screening age to 45 for all, and to 35 for Māori and Pasifika, who face higher risk at younger ages. A petition supporting its proposal has been signed by 13,000 New Zealanders and is before Parliament.

Peter Huskinson, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer NZ says New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. It remains the country’s second deadliest cancer, despite the fact 90% of cases can be treated successfully if caught early.

“Sadly 1,200 lives are lost to bowel cancer in New Zealand every year, including 350 under the age of 50. And new research[i] is telling us that early onset bowel cancer is on the rise.”

Huskinson says screening is a simple, cost-effective solution that saves lives, and the Government must act now.

“Bowel cancer screening is a $30 test that prevents an $80,000 cancer. The human cost of delay is tragic – and the economic case for early detection couldn’t be clearer. It is indefensible for more Kiwis to continue losing their lives to this preventable, treatable disease.”

To date, the Government has added just 20,000 people to the screening programme – scrapping a fully funded plan to screen 100,000 Māori and Pasifika aged 50–59 and instead extending eligibility to all 58–59-year-olds (120,000 people). This is despite clear evidence that Māori and Pasifika face significantly higher risk at younger ages.

“More than half of all Māori bowel cancers occur before the current screening age of 60 and for those diagnosed, it’s often at a later stage when it’s less treatable,” says Professor Sue Crengle, Medical Advisor for Bowel Cancer NZ.

"As a result, they have less opportunity to benefit from bowel cancer screening in its current form than other ethnic groups.”

As well as a higher risk of getting Bowel Cancer younger, data shows Māori are 46% more likely to die from bowel cancer than non-Māori, while Pasifika are 60% more likely.

“The system isn’t acting early enough and is causing unnecessary suffering and deaths among Māori and Pacific communities - deaths that can be prevented with proper screening at the right age,” says Professor Crengle.

This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Bowel Cancer NZ is urging New Zealanders to know the symptoms, demand action, and add their voice to the call for a reduction in the screening age by writing a letter to their local MP. More information on this including MP details and a letter template can be found at https://bowelcancernz.org.nz/what-we-do/advocacy/

Know your symptoms: Bowel cancer symptoms can come and go. Don’t wait — see your GP if you experience:

• Bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding)
• Change in bowel habits that come and go over several weeks
• Persistent or sporadic abdominal pain
• Loss of weight for no obvious reason and/or feel tired and weak (symptoms of anaemia)
• Lump or swelling in the abdomen

Bowel cancer is preventable and treatable — but only if it’s caught early. If something doesn’t feel right, see your doctor.

More information on bowel cancer and the Bowel Cancer New Zealand charity can be found at

http://www.bowelcancernz.org.nz

Note:

[i] BMC Cancer. 2024;24(1):456. Waddell O et al. “The incidence of early onset colorectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand” https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-024-12122-y

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