Don’t give up on cancer screening now
Australians must remember that screening remains vital in the fight against bowel cancer says the country’s peak professional body for gastroenterologists.
The Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) is concerned that the recent technical problems with the screening test used in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) may send a message to the public that the NBCSP is not worth the bother.
“The technical problem associated with the kit has the potential to sabotage the positive steps made so far with the NBSCP,” said gastroenterologist, Professor Graeme Young, GESA.
“That would be a total disaster as the NBCSP has the potential to almost halve the 5,500 lives lost to bowel cancer each year. This is a cancer that affects both sexes and is more common than breast or prostate cancers so we cannot be moving backwards when it comes to saving lives,” he added.
GESA and its members are providing reassurance and some practical steps for those people who may be affected by the faulty kits.
“We understand that people who have screened since December 2008 and who have returned a negative test may now be worrying that a cancer might have been missed,” said Prof Young.
“Let’s remember that most cancers grow slowly. Pre-cancerous lesions that might have been missed would be unlikely to have converted into a cancer in the short timeframe of a few months,” he added.
For those who have returned a negative test since December 2008, it is important that the following action be taken.
- Take-up the replacement test as soon as it is offered.
- If you have any symptoms (eg - blood in the stool; unusual change in bowel habit) that are concerning you or you realise that you do have a family history of bowel cancer, then discuss this with your doctor immediately.
- Other options for screening tests are available and the appropriateness of these should be discussed with your GP.
The GESA endorses the current program and continues to express its confidence in the approach to screening for bowel cancer initiated by the Federal Government.
“This current problem provides stimulus to review the existing NBCSP program to improve its impact. Offering rescreening plus a better method to ensure that colonoscopic surveillance is accessible for those who need it, are a few elements that will make this a more successful program,” said Prof Young.
