Bowel cancer
- Each year around 17,000 Australians are diagnosed with bowel cancer and around 92% of these people are aged over 50.
- Bowel cancer is one of Australia's most common cancers. About 1 in 21 men and 1 in 30 women will develop bowel cancer before the age of 75.
- Around 80 Australians die each week from bowel cancer making it the second most common cause of cancer-related death after lung cancer.
- Bowel cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat: the health system costs to treat one case of advanced bowel cancer are around $100,000 and rising.
- The good news is that if found early 9 out of 10 cases of bowel cancer can be successfully treated.
- Evidence shows that when fully implemented the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program could save 500 lives each year.
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
- Since the inception of the program in 2006 to mid - 2017:
- over 4.3 million Australians were screened;
- 7,732 people were found to have suspected or confirmed cancers; and
- 18,280 people were diagnosed with advanced adenomas (benign tumours that may become cancerous).
- A 2014 study found that people who were invited to screen through the Program had 15% less risk of dying from bowel cancer, and were more likely to have less-advanced bowel cancers when diagnosed, than people who were not invited.
- It is expected that from 2016 to 2020 approximately 9,000 suspected or confirmed cancers and over 26,000 advanced adenomas will be detected and removed.