National Bowel Cancer Coalition

In May 2009, the National Bowel Cancer Coalition launched the Bowel Cancer 2012 Challenge. An important policyshaping consensus statement, the Challenge called for, among other things, improved uptake of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, and its extension to provide free two-yearly screening

The National Bowel Cancer Coalition acknowledges that progress, albeit slow, has been made in rolling out the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. However, there is much more to do. Participation remains low, resulting in missed opportunities to diagnose and treat bowel cancer at a stage where it is still curable.

The National Bowel Cancer Coalition’s call to action for Government and policy makers by 2012 is to -

•	Overhaul the Program to restore public confidence following the faulty test kit debacle.
•	Provide life saving screening to the 5.4 million Australians who are currently missing out.
•	Implement a comprehensive national awareness campaign to promote participation in a fully operational Program.
•	Prevent as many as 2,000 deaths from bowel cancer every year.

These ambitious goals can be delivered simply by bringing bowel cancer screening into line with other national cancer screening programs and increasing the national average participation rate.

Only Australians turning 50, 55 or 65 are eligible to receive a free bowel cancer screening test kit as part of the Government’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

•	As many as 5.4 million1 Australians are currently missing out on life saving screening because of a lack of funding and government action.
•	While the Government has made an open-ended commitment to fully implement the Program, funding ends in 2010-11 according to the Department of Health & Ageing Population Health Budget Statement.
•	In 2009, the Minister for Health & Ageing stated that the structure and shape of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program will not be considered until the 2011-2012 Federal Budget.
•	By the time the Budget is delivered in May 2011, another 27,512 Australians will have been diagnosed with bowel cancer and sadly 7,602 will have died from this preventable disease.

These delays continue to result in unnecessary deaths. Lives will only be saved with the full implementation of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, which provides free two-yearly screening to all Australians aged over 50.

Bowel cancer is a major public health problem in Australia. One in 12 Australians will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime. The disease kills around 73 Australians every week. It is the most common internal cancer to affect both men and women and is the second biggest cancer killer of Australians.

In 2008, five independent, non-profit organisations agreed to coordinate individual activities and work collaboratively as a National Bowel Cancer Coalition:

    •   Bowel Cancer Australia
    •   Bowelscan
    •   Cancer Voices Australia
    •   Let’s Beat Bowel Cancer
    •   Scott Gillon, Patient
    •   The Colorectal Foundation

We aim to raise pubilc awareness of bowel cancer to reduce the number of Australians dying unnecessarily from this disease and improve patient outcomes of those diagnosed.

The Australian Government’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is a welcomed initiative, but we need to do more.

National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines recommend screening for bowel cancer for people aged 50 and over at least every two years.

Early diagnosis is the only way we can save lives.

Our challenge to the community and all levels of government is to work together to make this a reality so we can save thousands of lives every year.

Bowel cancer is not pretty but it’s pretty important that we do something about it.

We invite you to join our fight to save lives.

- The National Bowel Cancer Coalition.

     Mr Julien Wiggins - CEO, Bowel Cancer Australia
     Dr Les Rae OAM - Chairman, Bowelscan
     Mr John Stubbs - EO, Cancer Voices Australia
     Prof Adrian Polglase - Chairman, Let’s Beat Bowel Cancer
     Mr Scott Gillon - Patient
     A/Prof Graham Newstead AM - Chairman, The Colorectal Foundation

The National Bowel Cancer Coalition acknowledges the in kind support received from Beating
Bowel Cancer, Roche Products and the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU)
Universityof Adelaide. This website, the Bowel Cancer 2012 Challenge and Spotlight on
Screening documents were funded by Bowel Cancer Australia. The National Bowel Cancer Coalition
maintains editorial control over content within the document and contained on this website.