Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers in Australia. With advances in screening and a very successful vaccination program, Australia is on an extremely likely path towards eliminating cervical cancer. To achieve this, it is important for doctors and the Australian population to stay informed and up to date with screening. Even if you’ve had the HPV vaccine, screening is still important. This is because the vaccine cannot prevent all cases of HPV. In 2022, self-collection was added. This is just as accurate and can feel more comfortable.
You may have noticed that your mammogram report looks slightly different now. It doesn’t just say “normal”. It also categorises your breast density into 1 of 4 categories.
Breast density matters for two reasons.
1. Cancer is also dense and appears white on a mammogram so, on a mammogram of a very dense breast, cancer is hard to see.
2. Having higher density breasts can slightly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. It is not, however, associated with a higher mortality from breast cancer.
This does not mean you are going to get breast cancer, but it is worth understanding your individual risk. Read on to understand more.
One of the key differences between Australia and many other countries is our access to free screening for some cancers. This is crucial because early detection and treatment has been proven time and time again to not only be lifesaving but also saves patients from undergoing extensive treatment regimens as cancers may be caught earlier and are thus more amenable to simple treatment.
Breast, cervical and bowel cancer are three cancers which are not only common in Australia but have screening programs which are safe, reliable and tolerable.
