Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, can affect any part of the colon or rectum; it may also be referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where the cancer is located.
Bowel cancer screening is for people who do not already have bowel cancer, symptoms of bowel cancer, or any reason to have a high risk of bowel cancer.
Patient-centred care is healthcare that is respectful of, and responsive to, the preferences, needs and values of patients and consumers.
Bowel Cancer Australia provides essential support services uniquely designed for bowel cancer patients via our confidential Helpline with specialist telehealth support, as well as a national Peer-to-Peer Support Network and Buddy Program.
Bowel Cancer Australia funds research that has the potential to improve survival and/or help build a path toward a cure and integrates published research into our awareness, advocacy, and support strategies.
Bowel Cancer Australia relies upon donations and the support of hard working and enthusiastic fundraisers across the country to continue our life saving work. We raise funds to continue our life-saving work and inspire others to do the same, so everyone affected by bowel cancer can live their best life.
Dr Prasad Cooray is a Melbourne-based medical oncologist and founder of Yarra Oncology, committed to the pursuit of excellence in patient-centred cancer care. His clinical practice focuses on gastrointestinal malignancies, with a particular emphasis on early-onset and metastatic bowel cancer.
Prasad is recognised for his advocacy around improving outcomes for young people with bowel cancer, a disease he believes is biologically and clinically distinct from older-onset disease.
Through multidisciplinary collaboration and real-world data, his work has demonstrated that treatment strategies can significantly improve long-term survival, even in patients with advanced disease.
He graduated from Monash University (MBBS Hons) in 1996, completing an additional year of laboratory-based research leading to a Bachelor of Medical Science (Hons) degree, an undergraduate research award, and multiple publications. He undertook advanced specialist training at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The Austin and Alfred Hospitals.
Patients under Prasad’s care benefit from his extensive multidisciplinary networks and his commitment to coordinated, individualised care. He is actively involved in clinical trials and complex multidisciplinary decision-making.
For Prasad, oncology is a privileged opportunity not only to treat disease, but to educate, empower, and advocate for better systems of care.
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