Australia has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Around one in 13 Australians will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Importance of Screening
According to the Cancer Institute NSW, bowel cancer has the second-highest mortality rate of all cancers in NSW after lung cancer, however, only a small percentage of people residing in Western Sydney are participating in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBSCP).
Early detection and treatment of bowel cancer significantly improve survival rates which is why bowel cancer screening is recommended every two years for men and women aged 50 years and over.
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is an Australian Government initiative, which aims to help detect bowel cancer early and reduce the number of deaths from the disease. The NBCSP currently invites people aged 45-74 years to screen for bowel cancer.
All Australians aged 50-74 years who hold a Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs card (DVA) will receive a free bowel cancer screening kit in the mail every two years. People aged 45-49 years can request a bowel cancer screening kit be mailed to them or ask their doctor for one.
National Cancer Screening Register
The National Cancer Screening Register supports Australia’s bowel and cervical screening programs. It enables a single electronic record for each person in Australia participating in cervical and bowel screening. It gives health care providers better access to quality health information and makes it easier for program participants to take control of their health.
My Health Record
Participants in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program can now have their bowel screening results uploaded to their My Health Record (MHR).
The Department of Health has worked with the Program’s pathology service provider, Sonic Healthcare and the Australian Digital Health Agency to implement this latest initiative in results reporting. When accessing bowel screening results through the MHR, participants will see a copy of the results letter they will have received from Sonic Healthcare following testing of their returned samples.
Find out more on our My Health Record webpage.
Resources
We support general practitioners (GPs) with a range of Primary Care Quality Improvement activities.
Western Sydney health professionals can access Bowel Cancer Screening pathways on the Western Sydney HealthPathways website. To gain access to contact our HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wentwest.com.au or call 8811 7100.
GPs can encourage their patients to participate by using the following resources:
- Talk patients aged 45-74 years about bowel cancer screening during routine appointments:
- Explain to eligible patients about how to use the bowel cancer screening kit
- Use resources with culturally tailored options, including an expanded range for Aboriginal communities
- Order bulk supplies of bowel cancer screening kits and be ready to hand them out to eligible patients. To bulk order kits for your practice, you can use the Healthcare Provider Portal
- Manage patients according to the evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, early detection and management of colorectal cancer
Information on this page is correct as of 11:20am AEST Monday 1 July 2024.