Christchurch, NZ - 3 October 2025
Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ) President Professor Frank Frizelle appeared on the New Zealand current affairs programme Paddy Gower Has Issues, bringing national attention to the urgent need for earlier bowel cancer screening.
During the episode, Prof Frizelle performed a colonoscopy on journalist Paddy Gower, identifying polyps; one of which carried significant risk of becoming cancerous. Gower, aged 48, sits outside the current screening programme parameters.
Prof Frizelle highlighted the growing incidence of colorectal cancer in younger people, noting that one-third of patients under 50 present with advanced, often incurable disease, and called for screening policy to reflect this shift.
“This changing pattern of disease needs a change in our screening process,” Prof Frizelle said.
Professor Frizelle is President of CSSANZ, Professor of Surgery at the University of Otago Christchurch, and Editor-in-Chief of the New Zealand Medical Journal.
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