Cancer Control supports bowel cancer screening

Cancer Control New Zealand strongly supports a bowel cancer screening pilot

The Government’s decision to implement a bowel cancer screening pilot is strongly supported by Cancer Control New Zealand as a necessary first step towards a national screening programme.

“Cancer Control New Zealand strongly supports this approach to bowel cancer screening. The consequences of not proceeding with this pilot would have been immense,” says Associate Professor Chris Atkinson, Chair of Cancer Control New Zealand.

“Adopting the pilot is an essential first step towards a national implementation of a full bowel cancer screening programme for New Zealand.

“The pilot allows all the necessary components of a bowel screening programme to be tested.

“We also believe there are significant workforce issues that will need to be addressed particularly around pathology and colonoscopy. The pilot will enable this workforce to evolve,” says Associate Professor Atkinson.

Cancer Control New Zealand has prioritised bowel screening as one of its key priority areas, and will be taking a close interest in the pilot. It wrote to the Minister of Health earlier this year advocating for the pilot screening programme.

“A bowel cancer screening programme has the potential to increase early detection – and that means lives saved, and costs to the health system saved as well.”

Cancer Control New Zealand is a Ministerial Advisory Committee providing an independent and sustainable focus on cancer control through strategic advice to the Minister of Health. www.cancercontrolnz.govt.nz.

ENDS

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