Costs of screening for colorectal cancer: an Australian programme

The total costs (direct and indirect) associated with the operation of an Australian community based screening programme for colorectal cancer (CRC) were estimated. One-year costs of the programme were estimated to be AUS$1 347 948 to screen 24 000 participants. This corresponded to AUS$8868 per polyp and AUS$28 679 per cancer detected. The results presented here are quite favourable compared with the only other Australian screening programme that has reported costs. That programme estimated a cost per cancer detected of AUS$24 233 (adjusted). The recent Australian public health literature has been almost unanimously against recommending the operation of population based CRC screening programmes. More recently, overseas randomized control trials have reported reduced mortality (15 to 33%) as a result of these programmes. Cost data, as presented here combined with the epidemiological evidence, indicate the challenge the Federal Government is now confronted with in formulating policy to control the increasing number of deaths from the disease.