More than 3.6 million Australians have failed to return their bowel cancer early detection test kits, as experts warn the nation has reported the most severe drop in a decade of people using the preventative screening tool.
Recent figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed more than 6 million Australians, aged between 50 and 74, were sent a kit to screen for the disease themselves at home, but less than 2.5 million, or roughly 41 per cent, returned the test.
“COVID was full on and very stressful, and you really didn’t have a lot of cognitive space,” she said. “My husband and I both put it off. We realised later it was something we should both do, so we reordered the tests.”“I was just absolutely gobsmacked,” said Page-Wood, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy shortly after her diagnosis last year.
Musgrave said participation was particularly low in the 50 to 54 year age group, where it was hovering at about 30 per cent.Musgrave said if bowel cancer is detected early the cure rate surpasses 90 per cent, but if it has spread to nearby lymph nodes the five-year survival rate drops to 72 per cent. Caught later, survival rates drop to 14 per cent.
“It is such a curable cancer, if detected early, so we need an urgent push for everyone to reengage with cancer screening.”
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