Former rugby league player and North Queensland Cowboys’ recruitment chief Dane Campbell has opened up about his battle with stage four bowel cancer,
The 42-year-old said he had been living a healthy lifestyle, when he had a one-off, sudden episode that raised the alarm.
“I felt a sudden urge to go to the bathroom and thought I just had an upset stomach,” Mr Campbell said.
“But I randomly happened to look down and it was all blood.
“That was a massive concern - so unusual - especially given I’d had no other symptoms and was feeling otherwise fit and healthy.”
His GP had initially suspected haemorrhoids, but erred on the side of caution and referred the father-of-two for a colonoscopy.
“I came out of the colonoscopy and was asked to stick around – that’s when I started to realise something was wrong,” he said.
“I was told that I had a cancer in my rectum - the news smashed me in the face pretty hard.”
Mater Private Hospital Townsville colorectal surgeon Associate Professor Shin Sakata successfully removed the cancer by performing a minimally invasive, robotic, ultra-low anterior resection.
“The location of the cancer meant that the entire rectum had to be removed and, traditionally, that would require patients to have a large incision and a temporary stoma bag,” Prof Sakata said.
“In Dane’s case, I used the DaVinci Xi robot- a great example of the state-of-the-art surgical technology we have at Mater Private Hospital Townsville.
“The operation was smooth sailing, and I was able to avoid giving Dane a stoma bag.”
Follow-up scans showed a spot on Mr Campbell’s liver, which led to a liver lobectomy and six months of chemotherapy.
“So, that means I have stage four cancer, but we’re having a red-hot crack at eliminating it,” Mr Campbell said.
“At the end of the day, I was fortunate I just happened to look down that day.
“If I hadn’t - or if I had and dismissed it as haemorrhoids or fissures – the outcome could have been incredibly different.”
Professor Sakata said the collaboration of specialists allowed for best patient care.
"At Mater Private Hospital Townsville, the close collaboration of colorectal surgeons, liver surgeons, gastroenterologists and oncologists produces patient care of the highest standard,” he said.
“At Mater Private Townsville, the needs of our patients always come first.”
Around 15,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year and there are more than 5,000 deaths, making it Australia’s second deadliest cancer.
Australia also has the highest rate of bowel cancer in the world in people under 50, which now account for around one in nine cases being diagnosed.
June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and Dr Sakata is urging the public to not to be complacent.
“We are seeing a recent rise in bowel cancer cases among young people like Dane,” he said.
Red flags include a change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, fatigue and, as in Mr Campbell’s case, blood in the stool.
“In hindsight, I probably had some discomfort in my abdomen and what I thought was reflux, which I put down to other sickness at the time, when really, it was the cancer,” Mr Campbell said.
“So, I’d really advocate for early checks and screening, even if you think it’s not necessary.
“I also hadn’t realised at the time, but after being diagnosed I did a deep dive into my family history and found we have six or seven generations deep of stomach-related cancers, so it’s worth knowing your family history too,” Mr Campbell said.
Thankfully the former football player feels he’s in a “good spot”.
“I joke about it, but the reality is that all the things you know to be true - like eating well, exercising regularly, mindfulness - I think all of those things I’m doing more habitually and as a result I have a pretty positive outlook on beating this.”
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