Decembeard is the month to raise awareness of bowel cancer in men. All you need to do is grow a beard, that simple!!
Promoting your facial hair will raise much needed awareness and funds for Australia’s second biggest cancer killer. 1 in 11 Australian men will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime and it can affect men of all ages, however risk increases every year from the age of 50.
Choices you make related to diet, lifestyle and screening can influence your bowel cancer risk.
Most men who develop bowel cancer have no family history of the disease, although having a parent, brother, sister or child with bowel cancer can increase your risk of developing it.
Screening is recommended depending on your personal level of risk. For people at average risk of bowel cancer, guidelines recommend screening using a FIT test (Fecal Immunochemical Test) every 2 years from the age of 50. However, if you have one relative diagnosed with bowel cancer at age 55 years or older, screening should be considered every 2 years from age 45.
Early detection could save your life!
No matter your age, you should never be told that you are ‘too young’ to have bowel cancer.
