WELLINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is launching a nationwide home testing system aimed at speeding up bowel cancer assessments and easing pressure on specialist services, the government said on Wednesday.
The fecal immunochemical test (FIT), used for patients with symptoms, helps prioritize colonoscopies by identifying higher-risk patients. It detects hidden blood in stool -- an early sign of bowel cancer -- and can be done at home with results in days, according to a government statement.
"It helps identify who needs a colonoscopy, so we can prioritize those patients and keep reducing waiting times," Health Minister Simeon Brown was quoted as saying.
The measure could reduce colonoscopy referrals for symptomatic patients by up to 30 percent, freeing up specialist capacity, critical to the government's plan to progressively lower the national bowel cancer screening age, it said.
New Zealand has already reduced the screening age from 60 to 58, with a further drop to 56 scheduled from September, extending free screening to more than 200,000 additional Kiwis over four years.
Under the new pathway, most patients referred by general practitioners with bowel cancer symptoms will first receive the FIT test. Those with positive results will be prioritized for colonoscopy or alternative investigations, the government said.
Bowel cancer is the second deadliest cancer in New Zealand. ■
