People checked by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program are less likely to die from bowel-related cancers than other patients, according to a new health study.
The report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows people who did not take part in the cancer screening program were 15 per cent more likely to die from colorectal cancer within four to six years.
The AIHW’s Justin Harvey said this is largely because people in the program had their cancers detected earlier.
“The greatest contributing factor to the reduced risk of death from bowel cancer was the finding that, on average, screen-detected bowel cancers were at a less advanced stage at diagnosis,” he said.
Researchers questioned 22,051 people diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006-2008.
A total of 4,327 had been invited to be screened when they turned 50, 55 or 65.
Another 17,724 in the study were people of similar age who had not been invited to participate in the Bowel Cancer Screening Program during the three-year period.
Researchers found the risk of dying from bowel cancer was more than 2.3 times higher for patients who were not part of the screening program, but were later diagnosed by other means.
Bowel cancer is one of Australia’s most common cancers, especially for people aged over 50.
Around 80 Australians die each week from the disease.
It is one of the most commonly occurring internal cancers and the second most common cause of cancer-related death, after lung cancer.