Christopher Carter, chief executive, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
In most cases, cancers are easiest to treat and control if they are detected early. And that means it’s best to catch them before they become a problem.
The best way to do this is through regular screening. In Australia we are very fortunate, because we have a health system that provides free screens for three of the most common types of cancer – cervical, breast and bowel.
And from July 2025 there will also be free screens for another major killer, lung cancer.
For some years now, all Australians between the ages of 50 to 74 have been sent a free bowel cancer screening kit every two years. This year, the Australian Government lowered the eligibility age to 45.
The test is straightforward and easy to do, and after it’s been dropped off at the nearest pathology lab, results are available in only a few days.
It’s surprising, perhaps, that only about 40 per cent of people who receive a bowel cancer screening kit actually use it.
Maybe it’s because lots of people are afraid of discovering something nasty, and that’s fair enough. However, the odds of discovering you don’t have cancer are overwhelmingly good.
Data from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program showed that only six per cent of results warranted a follow-up appointment – and only one in 25 of those resulted in a suspected or confirmed cancer.
The chances of successfully treating bowel cancer when it is detected early are much, much better than when it has been left to grow until symptoms show.
The same goes for cervical cancer. Screening tests for this are recommended every five years for eligible people aged between 25 and 74.
At present about 68 per cent have had at least one screen. That number is expected to increase as more people discover that the test doesn’t have to be done by a doctor or nurse anymore and is now available as a do-it-yourself exercise.
The test can be done in a private room at a general practice, clinic or hospital. Help will always be available if you need it, of course.
And again, early detection is the key to survival. Also, the odds are overwhelmingly on your side. Data shows that for every 1000 tests, just one comes back positive.
For breast cancer, about 50 per cent of eligible people — those aged 40 to 74 – take advantage of the long-established free two-yearly screening program.
That’s a pity, because statistics show that regular mammograms really do save lives. Data shows that that in 1991, before the BreastScreen program began, 74 out of every 100,000 women died of breast cancer. Today that has dropped to 37.
This leads, perhaps, to a good idea for a New Year resolution. If you receive a test pack or invitation to have a screen in the mail, go through with it. Probably you’ll just feel relieved when your results come back, but maybe, just maybe, it will save your life.
