Making sense of differing bowel cancer screening guidelines

Ee, Hooi C; Olynyk, John K

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02444.x

Topics

Digestive system diseases

Neoplasms

Environment and public health

How can we ensure colonoscopy services are available to those who need them most?

Bowel (colorectal) cancer is the most common cancer affecting both men and women in Australia, with 13 076 cases diagnosed and 4164 deaths reported in 2005.1 It is the second commonest cause of cancer-related death, behind lung cancer. The incidence of bowel cancer increases exponentially after 50 years of age, with a lifetime risk of about one in 17 among men and one in 26 among women.1

1 Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA.
2 Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA.
3 University of Western Australia, Perth, WA.
4 Western Australian Institute of Medical Research, Perth, WA.

Correspondence: john.olynyk@uwa.edu.au

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