Tauranga GP changing bowel screening for younger Kiwis

A Tauranga-based GP has set up an at-home test to help screen younger New Zealanders for bowel cancer.

Dr Clive Price moved to New Zealand from the United Kingdom 18 months ago and had trouble finding an at-home faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which screens for bowel cancer.

"I would always do a bowel cancer screening kit in the UK and since moving out to NZ I logged onto the internet to try and find one and was unable to," he told 1News.

“I see a lot of patients that come in, they see a lot on the news and on social media about people with bowel cancer, up until recently there hasn't been an easy solution.”

Along with co-founder Rich Porter, Dr Price set up True Proactive, the country's first doctor-led bowel screening test.

True Proactive used the same test as the National Bowel Screening programme, currently offered to New Zealanders aged between 58 and 74.

Since launching in March, the company has already sold more than 1400 FITs, with demand doubling between April and May.

Of those tests, there have been at least 19 positive results, with at least five leading to life-saving medical intervention.

“After a few weeks someone emailed and said 'I've just had my colonoscopy and they've removed a small cancer', to get that call after a few weeks was a little bit surreal essentially and they just kept on coming through," said Price.

Greymouth father Antony Bax was one of those positive tests.

The 44-year-old went to his GP after experiencing symptoms, but was unable to get a screening.

“I asked my GP to have some help to access a test and he tried to refer me through the pathlab and through National Bowel Screening Programme but we couldn't,” Bax said.

"We were just hitting road blocks."

His wife Anita discovered True Proactive, which led to a positive test and a colonoscopy where a 4.5cm polyp was discovered.

“It came back benign, however [the doctor] did say due to the size and nature and shape of it... he said it 100% saved your life," said Bax.

"He said due to the characteristics of this polyp, it would've become cancerous in the next two to three years. That was a bit sobering."

Bowel cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among New Zealanders under 50 years old.

In last month’s Budget the Government pledged $45 million to lower the screening eligibility from 58 to 56.

However the programme was not yet fully rolled out for 58-year-olds after last year’s Budget commitment, Health Minister Simeon Brown citing "large wait times for colonoscopies”.

It also falls short of a 2023 campaign promise to match Australia, now screening from 45.

Bowel Cancer New Zealand was welcoming the introduction of True Proactive as a screening option.

“Sixty-five people a week are being diagnosed with this disease and so many of those are preventable,” chief executive Peter Huskinson said.

“Accessing one of those self-funded screening options is certainly something you can do if you want to look after your own health.”