Austrian Researchers Working to Decode triggers of Bowel Cancer

Consult specialist if symptoms continue over weeks

Researchers are trying to decode the triggers that drive deadly bowel cancer, Australia’s second biggest cancer killer. A team of researchers are analysing the growths, called polyps, in the bowel by looking into their molecular profile. They will also examine the proteins, the gut’s micro-organisms and immune cells. This will eventually help experts understand the reason polyps become cancerous. The research is made possible through a $10 million investment by Bowel Cancer Australia and the University of Sydney.

Professor Mark Molloy, from Kolling Institute and Sydney University, said about one in seven people that test positive in the stool test are diagnosed with polyps, but not all will turn into cancers. Professor Molloy said the project could uncover ways to prevent the disease. “Whether we can change patient’s diets, whether we can give them chemopreventative drugs to halt the growth of those polyps.”

The National Bowel Cancer Screening program is offered to people over the age of 50, which involves a taxpayer-funded test in the mail every two years. Researchers say people should refer to a specialist for a colonoscopy if they experience symptoms for two weeks or longer. The symptoms include a persistent change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, unexplained anaemia and blood in the stool.