It's 'amazing' that Australia has free bowel cancer screening: Catherine Osbourne

According to the Cancer Institute NSW, people who received these potentially life-saving kits are missing an opportunity to test for a disease that has killed more than 1800 people in the state, this year alone.

On her 50th birthday, Catherine Osborne, based in Dubbo in NSW's Central West, received a free bowel cancer screening kit in the mail.

She told ACM she felt fortunate to live in a country where she had access to free screening for bowel cancer.

"As you get older, you realise your risk of developing any form of cancer or any health condition increases with age," she said.

"I think it's amazing that you can have the opportunity to have a screen to know that you might be at risk of developing some form of cancer."

Ms Osbourne has worked in radiation oncology for the last 30 years. She is aware early detection, in most cases, results in a cure. She said screening for bowel cancer also helps to have an easier pathway of treatment for patients who test positive.

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Free bowel cancer screening tests are mailed to eligible Australians aged between 50 to 74, once returned with a sample, results are posted back. Ms Osbourne said the process was simple and straightforward.

"It comes with very clear instructions and there's pictures that show you what to do. It's a step by step of how you need to get your sample, what to do with it, and how to return it back to get your results in the mail," she said.

While it is one of the simplest ways to test for cancer, Ms Osbourne said many people were put off the by the process, and don't even open the kit.

"I think we all get busy, trying to make sure we do get our annual skin checks, or mammograms, or whatever else we need done once we start to get older. It's fitting all those things into a busy life, when you have a family and working," she said.

"But it's nice to carry on and know that it's one less thing you have to worry about."

Since June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Ms Osbourne encourages everyone to take advantage of a "brilliant system that really covers everybody" and do the test.