Cancer care personal for Swan

WAYNE Swan has cited his battle with prostate cancer in announcing  increase in funding for "world-leading cancer care".

WAYNE Swan has cited his own battle with prostate cancer in announcing a $226 million increase in funding for "world-leading cancer care".

"As a cancer survivor myself, I've experienced the high-quality treatment provided by our health system but I know more needs to be done to prevent, detect and treat this disease," the Treasurer told parliament last night.

While the government has already invested $3.5 billion in cancer prevention, detection, treatment and research, it will ramp up screening for breast cancer and bowel cancer and expand its commitment to Prostate Cancer Research Centres. There are two existing centres, which will each have their funding commitment extended, while Mr Swan also announced funding for a third centre, along with funding for research into lung cancer, a significant cause of disease and death in Australia.

The government had already announced it would expand the eligible age groups for women who can access free mammograms through BreastScreen Australia from 50-69 years of age to 50-74 years from 2013-2014.

That is despite a landmark commonwealth-funded review of BreastScreen Australia four years ago recommending mammograms be rationed, and only available for routine screening for women aged 50 to 69 in an effort to better target available resources. The government has never met the target screening rate of 70 per cent of women aged 50 to 69, and budget papers show it expects to maintain the existing age bracket participation rate of 55.2 per cent and deliver a similar proportion of women in the older age group from next year.

The government will also extend the target age range for the National Bowel Cancer Screening program so that, from July 1 next year, people turning 60 will also be invited to participate, in addition to those turning 50, 55 and 65. From July 1, 2015, people turning 70 will also be included.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek last night said the funding would help detect cancer earlier and develop better screening methods and treatments. Ms Plibersek said the package would also provide more support for those battling the disease, through a funding injection for the McGrath Foundation to expand the number of breast care nurses from 44 to 57 over four years.

SEAN PARNELL