Why do younger people also need Australia's free bowel cancer kits

The age at which Australians receive free bowel cancer test kits could be lowered from 50 to 45 under recommendations to the Federal Government. A case surge in the under 50s has sparked warnings symptoms are being overlooked because patients aren't considered to be at risk.

A supplied digital illustration, obtained on Thursday, January 17, 2018, of a home test kit designed to detect bowel cancer. Australians will be encouraged to take advantage of the national bowel cancer screening program in a new advertising campaign stressing it could save their life. (AAP Image/Supplied by Cancer Council) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY Credit: CANCER COUNCIL/PR IMAGE

Key Points

• Twenty-two-year-old Alliah Ysabel Ortiz is meticulous about her lifestyle. She ensures that she eats correctly and exercises regularly, but she is in favor of early bowel cancer testing.
• Australians over 50 are currently sent free bowel cancer test kits every two years. The growing number of younger patients has prompted calls for the screening program to be made available at an earlier age.
• Bowel Cancer Australia chief executive Julien Wiggins says draft guidelines to the Health Department have recommended lowering it to 45, and is hoping that can change within the next 12 months.

There is only one reason why Alliah Ysabelle Ortiz ensures that her body is in good condition even at a young age, and that is to prevent common and serious illnesses as she gets older, just like what she observed in her relatives.

Furthermore, she also wants to avoid the disease of cancer affecting younger victims.

" I exercise and most of the time I do walking and as much as possible I eat proper food because I don't want to get sick."

Over the past 30 years, there has been a dramatic increase in bowel cancer rates in younger age groups - more than 250 per cent in those aged between 15 and 24.

But a new study has found they often have trouble overcoming an age bias when they see a doctor.

Chief investigator Dr Klay Lamprell - from Macquarie University's Australian Institute of Health Innovation - says diagnosis can take up to 60 per cent longer than for older patients.

But the number under 50 is growing, accounting for one in ten cases.

Dr Lamprell says if you were born in 1990 your chances of developing colon cancer are double what they were for those born in the 1950s.

"And what we found was overwhelming that they had issues with their GP's low suspicion of cancer, which is understandable. Despite the increases, bowel cancer is still more prevalent in people over 50. So it seems that in a sense the message hasn't got there yet to health systems that this issue is going on. That they need to put bowel cancer on the radar when they are dealing with young people who have symptoms."

Healthy Pinoy is SBS Filipino's weekly segment on health. The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not intend to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your GP or doctor for support