Bowel cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat, but the nuances tell a complex story

Bowel cancer awareness has moved into a more urgent public health and policy conversation, where prevention, access and outcomes are increasingly shaped by system capacity and political will. As the nation marks Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (June) under the theme ‘Be Bold’, clinicians and industry leaders are calling for stronger action on earlier detection and faster access to innovation.

In this Health Industry Hub podcast, A/Professor Amitesh Roy, Medical Oncologist at Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer at Flinders Medical Centre, and Dr Elisabeth Smith, Medical Manager of Oncology at Merck Healthcare ANZ, join the discussion on what it takes to shift outcomes in a disease that remains Australia’s most costly cancer.

The conversation then turns to the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP), where participation sits at around 40% despite strong evidence of survival benefit. The discussion a concerning gap for younger cohorts who are increasingly part of the disease profile.

A/Professor Roy reflects on recent momentum from the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) congress and what stands out in terms of practice changing advances in genomics and targeted therapies that could reshape future care pathways. He explores how the access gap is translating directly into “difficult” conversations with patients and shaping treatment decisions in practice.

Finally, the discussion turns to the policy environment itself, asking what single change could meaningfully improve cancer outcomes over the next three years, and whether current systems are designed to match the pace of innovation and patient need.

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