New national cancer register planned

Health Minister Sussan Ley says a new national cancer screening register will help save lives through increased detection, treatment and prevention.

A new national cancer screening register is planned to replace eight separate state and territory cervical cancer registers, and an outdated and fragmented bowel screening system.

Health Minister Sussan Ley says that will save more lives through increased detection, treatment and prevention.

Ms Ley will introduce the National Cancer Screening Register Bill 2016 in the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning.

She said cervical cancer claims the lives of 250 women a year despite being one of the most preventable of cancers. Eighty per cent of women with cervical cancer have either not been screened or have not had regular screening.

Changes to the national cervical cancer screening program from May 1 next year will introduce the more effective human papillomavirus test for cervical cancer, replacing the Pap test every two years.

Ms Ley said bowel cancer was the second most common cause of cancer death, claiming around 4000 lives a year.

The expanded national bowel cancer screening program will roll out a free home bowel cancer screening kit to those aged 50-74 every two years by 2020.


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Source: AAP



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