The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation’s (VACCHO) ‘Don’t miss a moment’ campaign aims to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in cancer screening and health checks to help improve the health and wellbeing of Community.
Cancer screening and health checks allow for early diagnosis and treatment intervention, which increases the likelihood of better health outcomes. The Victorian Cancer Registry modelling demonstrated that there were an estimated 6,600 missing cancers between April 2020 to March 2022. This drop in diagnosis was found to be caused by a decrease in the number of people screening, not a decrease in cancer incidence.
In addition, the Cancer In Victoria Statistics and Trends Report 2021 showed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer than non-Indigenous Victorians. Other findings from the report include:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancers of the liver, lung and head and neck.
• The 5 most common cancers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians are lung, breast, bowel, prostate and melanoma.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria over 70 are 1.8 times as likely to be diagnosed with cancer than non-Aboriginal Victorians.
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Disclaimer: This article was provided by Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO). While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
