The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program will reduce the burden of colorectal cancer, saving lives and money.1 The benefits of the program, however, rely on both public and private sectors to deliver colonoscopy, surgery and, if necessary, advanced cancer care. Public confidence in the whole program is likely to be affected by the affordability, ability and availability of these frontline services.
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- 1. Lew JB, St John DJB, Macrae FA, et al. Evaluation of the benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness of potential alternatives to iFOBT testing for colorectal cancer screening in Australia. Int J Cancer 2018; 143: 269-282.
- 2. Whiting N. Bowel cancer: doctors concerned growing waiting lists for colonoscopies could prove fatal. ABC News 2017; 19 Jan. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-18/growing-waiting-lists-for-colonoscopies-test-could-prove-fatal/8192048 (viewed July 2018).
- 3. Cancer Council Australia. Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, early detection and management of colorectal cancer. Sydney: Cancer Council Australia; 2017. https://wiki.cancer.org.au/australia/Guidelines:Colorectal_cancer (viewed Sept 2018).
- 4. Corley DA, Jensen CD, Marks AR, et al. Adenoma detection rate and risk of colorectal cancer and death. N Engl J Med 2014; 370: 1298-1306.
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The No Australians Dying of Bowel Cancer Initiative has received funding for this activity through approved disbursements from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Rapid Applied Research Translation Program. The Initiative acknowledges the MRFF and the Commonwealth Department of Health in supporting its aim to eradicate bowel cancer death in Australia. We thank Perry Fabian, Michael Schurgott, Stuart Keynes and James Trumble for anaesthetic support, and Clinpath for pathological services. We thank Carol Holden, Keith Willis, Michelle Coats and Kalindra Simpson for their administrative and nursing support to the program. We also thank the public colorectal surgical units that reviewed our patients who were diagnosed with cancer.
No relevant disclosures.