Kit requests for those aged 45–49, July 2024–December 2025

Those aged 45–49 became eligible to request an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) screening kit from the National Cancer Screening Register from 1 July 2024. This newly eligible age group is reported separately from the 50–74 age group in this report. Data for kit requests, returns and available assessment outcomes are presented in Tables 2 and 3. However, outcome data for those who requested or returned their screening kit later in the timeframe reported will be incomplete.

Table 2: iFOBT kit requests and screening outcomes of eligible people aged 45–49, by 6-month period, sex, age and state or territory, Australia, July 2024–December 2025

Group

Kit requests 

Kits returned (%)

Positivity (%)

Period

Jul–Dec 2024

78,079

62.7

4.9

Jan–Jun 2025

95,919

55.7

4.6

Jul–Dec 2025

62,423

48.9

4.6

Sex

Males

114,029

55.2

5.3

Females

122,392

57.2

4.2

Age

45

57,912

57.0

4.5

46

49,231

54.7

4.5

47

47,808

55.6

4.7

48

45,645

56.0

4.8

49

35,825

58.2

5.2

State or territory

NSW

69,188

55.0

4.5

Vic

62,454

57.4

4.7

Qld

47,011

54.3

4.9

WA

27,729

57.4

5.0

SA

18,250

58.9

4.5

Tas

5,468

57.9

5.6

ACT

5,495

58.5

3.9

NT

826

50.1

6.1

Total

Australia

236,421

56.2

4.7

Source: Table A5.1.

Table 3: Known assessment outcomes of people aged 45–49, by sex, Australia, July 2024–December 2025

Category

Males (Number)

Males (%)

Females (Number)

Females (%)

Persons (Number)

Persons (%)

Assessments(a)

630

.

577

.

1,207

.

No issue(a)

178

28.3

216

37.4

394

32.6

Awaiting histopathology(b)

183

29.1

162

28.1

345

28.6

Other diagnosis(c)

18

2.9

15

2.6

33

2.7

Adenoma(d)

231

36.7

165

28.6

396

32.8

Suspected cancer(e)

13

2.1

14

2.4

27

2.2

Confirmed cancer(f)

7

1.1

5

0.9

12

1.0

  1.  Excludes 3,654 colonoscopies with no record of outcome, such as those reported by Medicare claim (1,789), or by PFUF only (1,865). ‘No issue’ recorded when no cancers, adenomas, polyps or other diagnoses were noted at colonoscopy and/or histopathology.
  2. Polyps detected at assessment and sent to histopathology for analysis. No histopathology report form received by Register.
  3. A non-cancer, non-adenoma diagnosis was recorded at colonoscopy.
  4. Confirmed adenoma figures were based on a combination of the assessment and histopathology report forms for a person received by the NCSR.
  5. Cancer suspected at assessment but not yet confirmed by histopathology.
  6. Cancer confirmed by histopathology.

Note: Outcome data for those with a positive screen late in the reporting period may not yet be available.

Source: Table A5.2.