CANCER – DIAGNOSIS – AUSTRALIA

Why 30,000 cases of cancer are over-diagnosed in Australia every year

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Original article by Jill Margo
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 28-Jan-20

Almost 30,000 cases of cancer may be over-diagnosed in Australia each year, according to a study published in the ‘Medical Journal of Australia’. Those involved in the study contend that eliminating over-diagnosis altogether is unlikely, but changes in public health policy are needed to help reduce the incidence of it. The term ‘over-diagnosis’ refers to the detection of cancers that, if left untreated, would not turn out to be life-threatening for the person concerned. Cancer Council Australia CEO Sanchia Aranda suggests that most people would prefer over-diagnosis of cancer to under-diagnosis.

CORPORATES
CANCER COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

New advice on prostate tests

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Original article by Cathy O’Leary
The West Australian – Page: 13 : 5-Dec-14

It is estimated that about 22,000 men in Australia are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Around 20 per cent of men in the 45-74 age group undergo a prostate specific antigen test each year, but guidelines released by an expert advisory panel on 4 December 2014 suggest that these tests be restricted to the 50+ age group. There are doubts about the effectiveness of this test, and some experts are concerned that it can cause medical complications

CORPORATES
CANCER COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Concern over alternative breast screen treatments

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Original article by Amy Corderoy
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 15 : 4-Sep-14

A new study published in the "Medical Journal of Australia", by Adelaide University researcher Linda Mundy and others, warns of women being misled by unscientific breast cancer screening services. They use methods such as digital infrared thermal imaging, electrical impedance scanning or electronic palpation imaging that are not backed by evidence. The Cancer Council Australia notes that two such providers in Perth have been cited in a Federal Court action brought by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, with penalties still to be handed down

CORPORATES
CANCER COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

A simple test may have saved his life

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Original article by Jill Margo
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 42 : 16-Jul-14

Kim Lee developed bowel cancer and died from it, but may have had the growth removed in time if it had been diagnosed earlier. Australians aged 50, 55, 60 and 65 are being sent test kits in the mail that require them to return two stool samples for analysis. If blood is present, further tests are advised. Only a third of the tests are actually used by the recipients. If diagnosed early, the survival rate for this type of cancer is 90%, and there are 15,000 cases each year

CORPORATES
BOWEL CANCER AUSTRALIA

Most at risk avoid bowel cancer kits

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Original article by Dan Harrison
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 13 : 24-Jun-14

Australians who turn 50, 55, 60 or 65 in that year receive a free bowel cancer screening kit in the mail from the Federal Government. However, data from the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare indicate that a mere 33.5% return the required faecal sample. This is despite the fact that by age 85, some 10% of men and about 7% of women will die of the disease. Bowel cancer ranks second only behind lung cancer in terms of death rates. A consultation with a doctor was recommended to 7.5% of those who did send in a sample in 2012-13

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH