Dr Kat Goodall was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer at just 33-years-old. Even as a doctor, it was something she never anticipated.
In April 2018, when she was deep into her general surgery training, Goodall started to experience bleeding from her bowel alongside changes in her bowel habits.
Being a doctor herself, she recognised these symptoms as red flags for bowel cancer and sought help from Colorectal Surgeon Dr Carina Chow, who she’d trained under as an intern.
“Dr Chow is such an amazing surgeon, I found her to be a phenomenal woman and an incredibly kind person, I wanted to see someone who I knew and trusted,” Dr Goodall said.
“She booked me in for a colonoscopy straight away and I was told I had colorectal cancer when I woke up and they sent me for scans to see how far the cancer had progressed.”
Once Dr Goodall was diagnosed, she underwent a low anterior resection surgery to remove it. She also ended up needing chemotherapy for 12 cycles and chose to freeze her eggs so she could later start a family.
“Chemotherapy felt harder than passing my fellowship exams,” said Dr Goodall.
“The chemotherapy was brutal, it left me with neuropathy and hand foot syndrome which as a surgeon is really concerning as I need my hands functioning.
“I did acupuncture and saw an Occupational Therapist to try and avoid losing the use of my hands. I also took up cross stitch which was great at keeping my hands moving.”
While undergoing treatment, Dr Goodall continued to work thanks to her hospital creating a part-time role for her.
“This was an amazing thing they did to support me, and the consultants I worked under always had my back,” she said.
“My own stubbornness kept me going, I think it’s a typical surgeon mentality, I pushed myself way too hard and seriously underestimated how exhausted chemotherapy would make me feel.”
Each year over 1600 Australians under the age of 50 are diagnosed with early onset bowel cancer– the deadliest cancer for people aged between 20 and 50.
Around the world, bowel cancer is on the rise in younger people as well, with a report from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation showing the global incidence has been steadily increasing over the past three years.
“People need to be aware of the warning signs for cancer and make sure they get appropriate testing,” Dr Goodall said, adding that if something doesn’t feel right, have it checked and get another opinion until you’re satisfied it’s been investigated properly.
Dr Goodall’s surgeon, Dr Chow said she’s seen a spike in younger patients presenting with bowel cancer in recent years.
“Bowel cancer is the deadliest cancer and the sixth leading cause of death overall for Australians aged 25-44,” Dr Chow said.
“Unfortunately, it can take younger patients 60 per cent longer to be diagnosed as their symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
“It is important that younger patients presenting with the red flag symptoms of bowel cancer like blood in the stool, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, iron deficiency anaemia and a family history of the disease are screened appropriately,” said Dr Chow.
After finishing chemotherapy, Dr Goodall fell pregnant and had a healthy baby girl, Mackenzie in June 2021. She passed her fellowship exam as well and continues to work in surgery.
“I know I have a very demanding job which requires so much time and energy, as a doctor it’s easy to put yourself last, but I am so glad I listened to the warning signs of my body,” Dr Goodall said.
“I have had genetic testing and I do not have a gene mutation so I know my cancer was an anomaly, that being said rates of bowel cancer are rising in people under 50.
Dr Goodall wants to see more support services available for people between the ages of 25-50 as this age gap often seems to be excluded, despite the fact that they are more likely to be balancing careers and young families without access to superannuation or long service leave.
“There is also a shortage of dedicated bowel cancer nurses in the community, this is an extremely important and valuable role, I would love to see more of them,” she said.
Now, her daughter’s 2nd birthday is coming up– there will be a dinosaur cake– and Dr Goodall says: “I have a wonderful family, and I am so lucky that I have such an amazing supportive partner who never left my side.”
