Australia plans 2006 roll out of national colorectal screening:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Australia will invest Aus$43.4m (US$36.9m) in extending nationally its national bowel cancer screening programme from May 2006. The announcement has come after the final evaluation of the Bowel Cancer Screening Pilot Programme, which has shown that screening of the target population aged 55-74, using faecal occult blood test (FOBT) with colonoscopy as the follow-up procedure, is "feasible, acceptable and cost-effective". Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world, affecting around 1 in 17 men and 1 in 26 women by the age of 75. Early detection of the disease is critical to improving outcomes and survival.