Do you know the visible signs of bowel cancer?

That's the message from Bowel Cancer Australia, which is reminding Australians to look out for visible signs of the bowel cancer.

With over 325 new cases and 108 deaths estimated weekly during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month this June, Australians are being urged to keep an eye out for 'abnormal' symptoms including:

While the risk of bowel cancer increases significantly with age, the disease doesn't discriminate, affecting men and women, young and old.

The good news is it's one of the most treatable types of cancer if found early.

While there can be some symptoms, the disease may develop without them, particularly in the early stages when treatment is much more likely to be successful.

If you're aged between 50 and 74, Bowel Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to make sure you're up to date with your two-yearly bowel cancer screening test.

It's also a great opportunity for everyone to learn how to cut their bowel cancer risk.

"Bowel cancer is one of the few cancers for which we have a reliable screening method to detect early stages of cancer or pre-cancerous growths," said Cancer Council SA chief executive Lincoln Size.

"Up to 90 per cent of bowel cancers can be successfully treated if caught early, and the best way to do that is with the simple but life-saving faecal occult blood test (FOBT).

"A FOBT detects invisible signs of blood in your stool, which can be a symptom of bowel cancer."

Tests have continued to be posted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as long as mail is still being delivered to the local area.

Mr Size said if you haven't completed your test yet, Bowel Cancer Month is the time to take action.

"People aged 50 to 74 are sent a free home test kit in the mail every two years and it's important to do it as soon as your receive it as each test has an expiry date."

Along with doing the test, Mr Size said there are also small actions you can take to reduce your bowel cancer risk, including eating a healthy diet high in dietary fibre, limiting red meat intake, limiting or avoiding processed meat, doing regular physical activity and avoiding or limiting alcohol.

"Now, more than ever, it's important to make your health a priority," he said.

"Completing your FOBT and leading a healthy lifestyle are great steps to make sure that you're putting your health first."

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