Australian Medical Association

MJA media release - Asbestos remains a global health threat, with over two million tonnes produced in 2008. Developing countries are mining and importing asbestos for domestic use, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Professor Peter Sly, Deputy Director of the Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute at the University of Queensland, and co-authors are calling for action to support the latest international effort to ban the mining and manufacturing of all forms of asbestos; to increase effective education of the dangers of asbestos; and to urge our legislators to increase their efforts to rid the world of asbestos-related disease.

MJA media release - Effective implementation of an evidence-based bowel cancer-screening program could reduce the number of deaths from the disease by almost a quarter, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The article by Ms Kathy Flitcroft, Research Fellow (Health Policy) at the Sydney School of Public Health and co-authors, analyses the history, development, implementation and effectiveness of bowel cancer-screening policy in Australia over the past fifteen years.

“Research evidence appears to have played a major role in the development of bowel cancer screening policy proposals.  However, policy decisions about how best to implement the program have not been evidence based and reflect a lack of understanding of the importance of research evidence in population screening programs,” Ms Flitcroft said.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that more needs to be done to stop young people from taking up drinking at an early age, including banning alcohol advertising and promotions that are targeted at teenagers and adolescents.

Dr Pesce said that excess alcohol consumption is known to be a contributor to cancer rates in Australia.

The 2010 edition of Australia’s Health, released yesterday, showed that there are rising rates of cancer in the community and that cancer is the leading cause of disease burden in Australia.

“The AMA wants the Government to target alcohol advertising to young people as part of an overall strategy to cut excessive and irresponsible alcohol consumption in the Australian community,” Dr Pesce said.

It’s the season to be jolly, but the AMA is reminding people that it is also the season to be sun smart to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said many people look forward to spending time at the beach or taking part in other outdoor activities over the holiday period, following their family gatherings at Christmas.

“It’s easy to get carried away with the festivities at this time of year, but it’s important that Australians remember to slip, slop, slap, seek shade and slide on sunglasses to protect themselves from harmful UV exposure,” Dr Pesce said.

MJA Media Release - Bowel cancer screening program results in earlier detection

The introduction of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) has resulted in earlier detection of cases of colorectal cancer, which is expected to increase survival rates, according to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The NBCSP was launched in May 2006 and currently offers faecal occult blood testing to all Australians aged 50, 55 or 65 years of age.

Dr Sumitra Ananda, Medical Oncology Fellow at Royal Melbourne Hospital, and her co-authors reviewed data on colorectal cancer cases diagnosed between May 2006 and June 2008 from a prospective database used at 19 Australian hospitals.

Youth Health: Smoking

AMA Position Statement: Cervical Cancer Screening - 1999