Cancer Council report finds fewer Vics getting checked

Victorians continue to miss having lifesaving cancer screenings in the wake of Covid, with a new analysis showing as many as 6660 residents are likely to be living with an undiagnosed cancer.

Victorians are continuing to miss having vital cancer screening with a new report showing the disease claims the lives of around one in three Victorians.

For the third year in a row the Cancer in Victoria 2022 report, to be released on Thursday, highlights an alarming drop in diagnoses and points to the Covid pandemic as the likely cause.

Experts say it means as many as 6660 Victorians could now be living with undiagnosed cancer as a result.

The annual report is prepared by the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR) for Cancer Council Victoria and gives an overview for future planning of cancer activity and trends in Victoria.

It shows that while the number of new diagnoses are projected to increase for almost all cancers over the next 15 years, survival rates beyond five years are the best they have ever been.

Screening numbers are down in all the main cancers including breast cancer. Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat / AFP)

Sue Evans, the director of the VCR, said the reduction in cancer diagnoses came as a surprise and the continued plateau over the last three years was disappointing.

“In 2020 we thought it was a blip and it would improve; but this 2022 data has been worse than 2021 so it is still hovering around this decline that we don’t seem to be able to move,” Professor Evans said.

“It goes across the most common cancers of breast, bowel, melanoma, lung; these have all seen a drop again relative to what we would have seen in the era pre-Covid.”

The report identified blood cancer was rising in Victoria, particularly in the under 25 age group.

It also recorded 489 Victorian children under 15 were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia over the last five years.

This accounted for half of all cancer diagnosed in this age group.

Professor Evans said the increase in blood cancer was expected as it was also a disease of an ageing population.

The Cancer in Victoria 2022 report shows a decline in cancer screening. Image: Supplied.

In some good news, there has been a decline in blood cancer deaths in Victoria.

The report found cancer continues to disproportionately affect Aboriginal Victorians who are twice as likely to be diagnosed.

And while regional Victorians are 10 per cent more likely to develop cancer, survival rates are improving.

However, for those living in a country town the risk of melanoma is almost double.

Professor Evans said Victoria was on track to potentially become the first region in the world to eradicate cervical cancer because of the success of self-collection screening that she described as a game-changer.

Cancer Council Victoria’s Chief Executive Officer Todd Harper said the decline in cancer diagnoses should act as a reminder to Victorians to prioritise their health.

“We know that during the pandemic people put off seeking medical advice and their approach to health changed, only seeking help for serious, acute issues and putting off anything they perceive to be non-essential,” Mr Harper said.

“Early detection and treatment are the most important tools to improving survival following a cancer diagnosis.”

Professor Evans added the message to Victorians was to get screened or checked and do it early.

“It is important that you don’t let things go because you don’t get that time back and that’s something you don’t want to regret.”

At a glance:

• 98 Victorians are diagnosed with cancer every day

• The five-year survival rate has almost doubled over the past 30 years

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, breast cancer for women