Overview

Population-based screening is an organised, systematic and integrated process of testing for signs of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions in populations without obvious symptoms. Programs target specific populations and/or age groups where evidence shows screening to be most effective. 

Featured reports

Latest findings

More than 5.2 million cervical screening participants aged 25–74 in 2018–2022

Cervical screening HPV test positivity was 10% in 2022

In 2020–2021, around 1.7 million women participated in the BreastScreen Australia. This was 48% of women aged 50–74

In 2019, breast cancer was the most common cancer in Australian women, with 331 new cases per 100,000 women aged 50–74

40.9% of the 6.1 million people invited to screen between January 2020 and December 2021 participated in the NBCSP

Screen-detected bowel cancers less likely to cause death than bowel cancers diagnosed in people never invited to screen

Related information regarding cancer outcomes can be found under Cancer.