Awareness & Education

Collectively, gut cancers are the most common form of cancer in New Zealand and have amongst the lowest 5-year survival rates.

Because of these stark facts, we raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of gut cancers and provide Education for New Zealanders about reducing risks through healthy lifestyles:

Shine A Light on Gut Cancers

Right now, early detection is the best defense we have against the impacts of gut cancers. We don’t want another person to leave symptoms unchecked or questions unasked. That change starts with a conversation and those conversations need to start today. Our Shine A Light campaigns aim to make sure the symptoms of all gut cancers are better understood, normalise and amplify these important conversations, to give a much-needed voice to these often-undiscussed cancers.

Click here to view our campaigns.

Gut Cancer Prevention through the promotion of healthy lifestyle

“No country can afford to treat their way out of the cancer crisis”

Chris Wild, Director, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2009–2018

Education about Gut Cancers is so important. It is estimated that up to 30-50% of all cancers are preventable. Excess weight, prolonged and excess exposure to alcohol, smoking, and a lack of exercise are some of the main contributing factors to increased risk of developing cancer. On 4 February 2022, Te Aho o Te Kahu (Cancer Control Agency) released Pūrongo Ārai Mate Pukupuku, the Cancer Prevention Report. The report highlighted the fact that a healthy lifestyle, better diet, and increased exercise can all help reduce the risk of developing a gut cancer.

At GCF we educate people on how to prevent gut cancers to reduce the number of people developing these diseases.