AUSTRALIAN women are used to screening programs they have undergone regular mammograms and cervical smears for decades. However, the roll-out of an FOBT-based screening program for colorectal cancer marks the first time healthy Australian men will be subjected to a population-based cancer screening procedure. Not that many will be complaining. Colorectal cancer is now the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia and, thanks to diet and lifestyle, this country has one of the highest incidences in the world. Each year, about 12,600 new cases are diagnosed and 4700 Australians die from the disease. Studies, including the Australian pilots for the screening program, suggest screening with FOBT could reduce bowel cancer mortality by up to 33% which...
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