Bowel Cancer Ireland have issued fresh calls for better prevention and earlier screening of the illness, following the death of Irish Olympian, Ciara Mageean over the weekend.
Ciara Mageean died aged 34, having previously revealed earlier this year that she was diagnosed with bowel cancer stage four.
Her death was confirmed with a post shared via her Instagram account.
“At 6.30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer, surrounded by her loved ones. A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many, she will be deeply missed", a statement read yesterday. “Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam", it said.
Now, the charity, Bowel Cancer Ireland, have called for better prevention and screening for this illness. At present, only one in 10 bowel cancer diagnoses in Ireland are made in people under the age of 50. Bu the BowelScreen programme is only available to those between the aged of 50 and 71.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio this morning, Brendan Donlon, Bowel Cancer Ireland chair, has called on people not to ignore any changes in their health or feel embarrassed about seeking any medical advice.
He said that the most important warning sign is finding blood in your stool, adding that it can appear bright red or very dark or almost black. Any changes to your usual bowel checks should be checked, especially ones which last for three weeks or longer.
Mr Donlon urged people to get in touch with their GP, should they notice any other symptoms such as ongoing stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, bloating and persistent tiredness. He also said they should seek a second opinion if they feel their concerns are not taken seriously.
Speaking about Ciara Mageean, Brendan Donlon praised the late Olympic athlete for her role in raising awareness, revealing that she had contacted the charity to ask how she could help to spread the message following her diagnosis. He said that Ciara's death was a reminder that being young and fit does not mean that you are immune from the disease.
Mr Donlon added that many women from the charity's support group have been told their symptoms were down to IBS or PMS, emphasising the importance of calling for further investigation when they notice something not quite right with their health.
Currently, the charity is asking the Government to lower the national bowel screening age, which currently stands at 57.
While the minister for health remains committed to lowering this age, Mr Donlon stated that there is currently no timeline or budget in place. He also said that more colonoscopy capacity will be needed to make this change possible.
He went on to say that there were 6,700 people seeking urgent referrals last year, despite a recommended timeframe of four weeks.
Bowel cancer is a treatable cancer when detected early, but patients' outcomes can be severely worse if they are diagnosed at a later stage.
BowelScreen provides a free at-home screening test every two years for people aged between 57 and 71, with screening designed to find potential signs of bowel cancer before the symptoms develop.
