More Western Australians are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before.
There are multiple reasons for the increase in cancer diagnoses. As the population grows in WA to over 2.8 million people, the number of diagnoses will also naturally increase. We are also now living longer (on average), which means we have an ageing population. Many cancers are age-related, with the likelihood of developing cancer and being diagnosed increasing as we grow older. Finally, we have made advancements in population screening and are therefore more actively looking for cancer. Through cancer screening and early detection methods, we are finding more cancers than before. However, because these cancers are usually found earlier, the likelihood of successful treatment is greater too.
There are two strategies that promote early detection of cancer: screening and early diagnosis.
- Screening programs for a particular cancer are provided to a specific group of people who show NO symptoms of that cancer.
- Early diagnosis describes people WITH symptoms that may be caused by a type of cancer, telling their healthcare provider as early as possible about those symptoms, so that tests can be done to check if they have cancer.
The image below shows this difference.
Image courtesy of World Health Organisation.
Both of these early detection strategies can help a cancer be diagnosed and treated at an earlier stage before the cancer has spread throughout the body, where the likelihood of successful treatment is greater, and the chance of survival and quality of life is improved.
Screening
Screening is identifying unrecognised cancer or pre-cancer in a population of people who show NO signs of having that cancer.
Cancer screening is an important way to detect cancer early. If detected early, the cancer may be smaller, less likely to have spread to other parts of the body, and more treatment options may be available, meaning that successful treatment is more likely.
Cancer screening tests are usually targeted at a particular group of people who are at a higher risk of a particular type of cancer, to determine if they need to undergo further testing. Cancer screening tests can also find people with early-stage cancer, who have not yet developed any symptoms.
There are currently three free cancer screening programs available in Australia:
Breast screening
BreastScreen WA invites women aged 50-74 years to their clinic, for a free mammogram every second year. A mammogram is a low dose x-ray of the breast tissue which can detect cancers as small as a grain of rice, before they can physically be felt by a patient or doctor. Over 75% of breast cancers occur in women over 50 years of age. Conducting screening tests on women younger than 50 years of age is less accurate because breasts are denser at this age, making signs of cancer hard to detect.
Women aged 40 years and over with no breast cancer symptoms are also eligible to make an appointment at BreastScreen WA, but they won’t receive an invitation through the mail.
If you have a strong family history, an increased risk of breast cancer or are generally concerned about your breast cancer risk, ask your GP whether you should start screening at an earlier age.
Cervical screening
The National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) offers a free Cervical Screening Test (CST) which looks for the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in a collected sample. HPV is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer. Women and people with a cervix aged 25-74 will be invited by mail every five years to take part in screening. Even those who have had the HPV vaccine will still need regular cervical screening.
There are two ways to have a CST, both accessed through a healthcare provider. You can choose to have your CST done by a doctor or specially trained nurse (clinician collection), or you can choose to collect your own sample (self-collection). Both methods are equally safe, effective and accurate.
If HPV is found in a clinician collected sample, the same sample can be used to look for abnormal changes to cells taken from the cervix.
If HPV is found in a self-collected sample you will need to have a follow up sample collected by a healthcare provider, to check for abnormal cervical cell changes.
Find out more about the National Cervical Screening Program.
Bowel screening
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) invites eligible Australians aged 50-74 to screen for bowel cancer using a simple test at home called an immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT). The iFOBT test looks for tiny traces of blood in poo which may (or may not) be a sign of cancer. A bowel cancer screening kit is sent to the home address of eligible Australians every two years once they turn 50 years old.
The risk of developing bowel cancer (also known as colorectal cancer) increases with age and is most common in people aged 50 years or older. If you have a strong family history or an increased risk of bowel cancer, ask your GP whether you need to have more regular tests and/or start screening at an earlier age.
On the horizon
On the horizon: There is currently no routine screening test for lung cancer in Australia. Lung cancer is a complex disease and there are a number of factors and issues involved in creating a national screening program.
On 2 May 2023, the Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aged Care announced the funding of a National Lung Cancer Screening Program. It is expected to begin by July 2025. The program will target people who are at the highest risk of lung cancer. The aim is to detect the cancer early to increase the likelihood of successful treatment, improve lung cancer outcomes and ultimately save lives.
You can keep up to date with the progress here.
Symptom awareness and early diagnosis
Early diagnosis is recognising symptoms that may be caused by cancer at the earliest possible opportunity and being assessed, diagnosed and treated without delay. The best way to do this is by being aware of changes in your body and seeking medical advice right away when you recognise something that isn’t normal for you.
You can learn about the different types of cancer and their symptoms here.
Find Cancer Early is a campaign aimed at people living in regional WA. It promotes the important message that ‘the earlier cancer is found, the greater the chance of successful treatment’ and encourages people to be aware of changes in their body and to see their doctor, clinic nurse or Aboriginal health worker straight away.
Important things to remember:
- If you have any unusual symptoms go to your doctor, clinic nurse or Aboriginal health worker without delay. Don’t wait to participate in your next screening test as it could potentially delay diagnosis and treatment, resulting in a poorer outcome.
- Even if you participate in screening regularly, you should still look out for symptoms in between screening tests. Cancers can sometimes be missed by screening tests (as they are not 100% accurate) or they can develop between screening tests.
- Even if you feel fit and healthy, you should still look out for symptoms.