The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program monitoring
report 2007, released today by the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare (AIHW), tracks the first year of the National
Bowel Cancer Screening Program.
In the first year of the Program, which began in August 2006,
nearly 450,000 screening kits were sent to people aged 55 and 65
with the aim of reducing mortality from bowel cancer through early
detection of bowel cancer and precancerous polyps.
'Just over 40% of people who received the kit took up the offer
to complete the test, said Melissa Goodwin of the AIHW's Health
Registers and Cancer Monitoring Unit.
Participation was almost 20% higher amongst 65 year olds than 55
year olds.
Blood in the faeces was detected in 7% of tests completed as
part of Phase 1 of the Program, and men were 40% more likely to
have blood detected than women.
'Despite this fact, and the fact that men aged 55-74 years are
58% more likely to develop bowel cancer than women, participation
in screening was almost 20% higher in women', Ms Goodwin said.
'This is the first national screening program inviting men to
participate, and men are less likely to screen compared with women,
who are more used to it through breast and cervical cancer
screening.'
Either pre-cancerous polyps or cancers were detected in 63% of
the positive results that were further investigated by
colonoscopy.
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related
deaths in Australia, and about 4,100 people in Australia die each
year from the disease.
For both men and women, the risk of developing bowel cancer
increases with age.
The risk of being diagnosed with bowel cancer by the age of 85
years is 1 in 10 for males and 1 in 14 for females,' Ms Goodwin
said.
Wednesday 23 April 2008
Further information: Melissa Goodwin, tel. 02
6244 1041, mob. 0407 915 851
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for the availability of The National Bowel
Cancer Screening Program monitoring report 2007
report.