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He is one of 2400 South Canterbury people to participate in the testing. Over the eight months the kits have been rolled out in the region, 120 tests have come back positive due to the presence of blood. So far, 77 people in South Canterbury have had bowel screening programme colonoscopies. In about 80 per cent of these cases polyps have been found and removed. Three early stage bowel cancers have been detected.
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Dene Madden from Twizel, right, and South Canterbury District Health Board general surgeon Rene Van den Bosch. If treatment is administered early, there is a 90 per cent chance of long term survival.