Why Bowel Cancer Deserves More Attention (And Funding)

Bowel cancer is the second deadliest cancer in Australia, but you wouldn’t know it from the funding, the media coverage, or the general public conversation. It kills more people than breast cancer or prostate cancer. And it’s rising fast in younger Australians. Yet when it comes to research dollars, awareness campaigns, and policy action, it’s still treated like the underdog.

That needs to change.

Let’s talk about the numbers and the people behind them

Every year, about 15,000 Australians are diagnosed with bowel cancer. More than 5,000 will die from it. It affects men and women almost equally. And it doesn’t care if you’re 72 or 32. In fact, early-onset bowel cancer (in people under 50) is increasing at an alarming rate and still largely flies under the radar.

The stats are grim. But behind every number is a person. Someone who might have missed the signs. Someone who was told they were too young to worry. Someone navigating surgery, chemo, stomas, fatigue, and fear, all while the world keeps acting like bowel cancer is something that happens to “old people.”

Bowel cancer doesn’t get the spotlight and it shows

Let’s be honest: bowel cancer doesn’t get the PR it deserves. It’s not wrapped in pink ribbons. It doesn’t dominate awareness months. It’s not talked about in schools or workplaces the way other cancers are. It’s awkward. It’s “embarrassing.” It’s about poo, bleeding, guts, and butts and that stigma is killing people.

The result? Delayed diagnoses. Ignored symptoms. Misdiagnoses. People being told to “cut out dairy” when they actually have stage III cancer. And a general lack of urgency when it comes to research and innovation.

The research funding gap is real and dangerous

Australia has made huge strides in cancer research over the years. But not every cancer has been given the same chance. Breast cancer and melanoma, for example, have benefitted from decades of strong advocacy, consistent funding, and highly visible campaigns. That investment has delivered better screening, earlier detection, and improved survival rates.

And that’s fantastic, it’s exactly what we should want for every cancer.

But bowel cancer hasn’t kept up. Despite being one of the deadliest and most common cancers, it receives far less research funding per death than other major cancers. That means slower progress, fewer clinical trials, and limited data, especially for younger patients who don’t fit the traditional mould.

This isn’t about taking money from other cancers. It’s about giving bowel cancer the funding and focus it deserves.

The screening age has dropped but not enough people know

One of the best tools we have for fighting bowel cancer is early detection. In 2024, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program officially lowered the eligible age from 50 to 45. Australians aged 50 to 74 now automatically receive a free test kit every two years. Those aged 45 to 49 can opt in to receive the test early, but only if they know it’s an option.

And that’s part of the problem. Too many people don’t know. Too many still find it gross or awkward. And too many throw the test kit straight in the bin without realising it could save their life.

Early detection works. But it only works if people actually do the test and that takes education, awareness, and national support.

Bowel Cancer Australia is leading the charge

If bowel cancer is finally starting to get noticed, it’s thanks in large part to organisations like Bowel Cancer Australia. They’ve worked tirelessly to break the stigma, fund research, and push for policy change. They run GP education programs, lead the Never Too Young campaign, and fight hard to get younger patients taken seriously.

I was proud to be part of their 2024 national awareness campaign, appearing alongside other advocates in a TV advertisement and on billboards across the country. Because when real patients put their face to the message, it gets harder to ignore. It becomes personal. And it starts to stick.

Bowel cancer doesn’t just need facts, it needs faces, stories, and loud voices saying: this matters.

Early-onset bowel cancer: the rising wave nobody warned us about

The scariest part? Bowel cancer rates are rising fastest in people under 50. That includes people in their 30s, their 20s, even younger. Many have no family history. No genetic markers. No idea that their symptoms could mean cancer.

They’re being misdiagnosed with IBS. Told to change their diet. Sent home with laxatives. And by the time the cancer is caught, it’s often advanced.

It’s not rare anymore. But we’re still treating it like it is. That’s a deadly mistake and one we can fix with better awareness, stronger advocacy, and earlier testing.

We need to normalise gut health, for real

Bowel cancer thrives in silence. In embarrassment. In that awkward hesitation when you’re not sure whether to mention the blood in your poo. Or the weird bloating. Or the fatigue that won’t go away. That shame is its ally and our enemy.

We need to flip the script. We need to make it normal to talk about your bum at brunch. To book a GP appointment over toilet changes. To say “bowel cancer” out loud without whispering or wincing.

If we can talk about breast checks and skin spots, we can talk about poo.

This isn’t a competition, it’s a call to catch up

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about pitting one cancer against another. Every cancer journey deserves support, funding, and empathy. But bowel cancer has been left behind and it’s time to close that gap.

I was genuinely happy to see the McGrath Foundation, a breast cancer organisation, use their major fundraising event, the Pink Test, to support all cancers in 2024. That kind of solidarity matters. It shows we don’t have to compete for care, we can lift each other up.

If we can flood social media with pink for breast cancer, we can make room for bowel cancer too.

If we can donate millions to research that saves lives, we can make sure bowel cancer patients benefit equally.

If we believe all lives matter, then bowel cancer lives have to matter too, not quietly, not awkwardly, but boldly and fully funded.

What you can do

• Get tested – especially if you’re 45 or over. Don’t bin the kit.
• Share your story – personal stories have power.
• Talk about it – normalize the conversation around symptoms and screening.
• Donate to Bowel Cancer Australia – fund the change you want to see.
• Contact your MP – ask what they’re doing to support research, awareness, and early detection.

Final Thought

Bowel cancer isn’t a punchline. It’s not just an “old person’s disease.” And it shouldn’t still be sitting in the shadow of more visible cancers.

It deserves attention. It deserves funding. It deserves urgency.

And with more voices, more faces, and more action, we can make that happen.