AGE-SPECIFIC CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR EARLY-ONSET BOWEL CANCER To be developed by Bowel Cancer Australia in collaboration with the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC)
With
Dr Prasad Cooray, Medical Oncologist,
Yarra Oncology &
Clinical Researcher & Lecturer,
The University of Melbourne &
Spokesperson, Bowel Cancer Australia
SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne | April 2026
Each year almost 1,900 Australians are diagnosed with early-onset bowel cancer (under age 50), and they are currently managed according to clinical practice guidelines that are not age specific.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has agreed to consider for approval the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Early Diagnosis and Management of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer (EOCRC), to be developed by Bowel Cancer Australia in collaboration with the Australian Living Evidence Collaboration (ALEC), and funded by Bowel Cancer Australia. ALEC is led by Cochrane Australia and based in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
“Development of co-designed age-appropriate guidelines is essential given the rising rates of bowel cancer among Australians under 50 to ensure they reflect the unique clinical challenges younger people encounter,” Bowel Cancer Australia CEO Julien Wiggins said.
“The guidelines will use an established ‘living’ approach to generate up-to-date, evidence-based guidance to support clinical decision-making. As soon as new research becomes available, it can be incorporated into the guidelines and translated into clinical practice in near real-time.”
“Young Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer face a very different disease trajectory compared to older patients, yet they are managed under the same clinical framework,” Medical Oncologist and Bowel Cancer Australia spokesperson Dr Prasad Cooray, said to Australian Health Journal.
“That gap has real consequences, contributing to delayed diagnosis, more advanced stage at presentation, poorer survival outcomes, and long-term impacts on fertility, survivorship, and quality of life.
Young women are a particular concern because fertility and pregnancy can be impacted by treatment while postpartum changes can hide or confuse symptoms.
Source: Adapted from Bowel Cancer Australia media release (February 2026)
-
Nursing Now Australia Launches
The evening of Tuesday 9th April saw the launch of Nursing Now Australia in Sydney, with Lord Nigel Crisp, Co-Chair of Nursing Now.
Professor Christine Duffield FACN, President of Australian College of Nursing welcomed the start of the campaign and explained the relevance to Australian Nurses.
-
Diary of a Paramedic in a primary health care clinic
Alecka Miles is a lecturer at Edith Cowan University and works as a paramedic in a multidisciplinary team at Dianella Family Medical Centre in Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia.
Community paramedic roles have a history in Australia, dating back to 2007 in New South Wales and followed by similar initiatives in South Australia and New Zealand. Alecka’s position emerged after she sought to evaluate how paramedics could integrate into general practice, ultimately leading to a job offer post-COVID lockdown in 2020. Her skills, particularly in cannulation, proved valuable as healthcare shifted towards primary care.
-
Alfred Hospital leading in pharmacy services for critically unwell patients
Cristina Roman, is the Lead Pharmacist at Alfred Emergency Trauma Centre. In her 12 years working in the Emergency Department, Cristina has established pharmacy services, and filled gaps in patient care with new models of care.
One of those models of care adopted by the US and other countries, is involving pharmacists for critically unwell patients that present to the emergency department.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Cristina Roman and Lisa Bremner, Advanced Training Resident Pharmacist at Alfred Hospital Emergency Trauma Centre.
