Position statements

The purpose of this Position Statement is to provide guidance on the use of fine needle aspiration (FNA)[1] and core biopsy for the assessment of abnormalities identified through population screening for breast cancer. The Position Statement will establish national BreastScreen Australia policy on breast biopsy and support best practice care in the BreastScreen Australia program.

Please note that this information was updated in August 2021 with the final results of the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

The purpose of this Position Statement is to provide information and guidance in relation to routine screening of women who are at population risk of ovarian cancer, and surveillance of women who are at high or potentially high risk of developing ovarian cancer. The scope encompasses unimodal and multimodal strategies for early detection of ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women. The scope does not include diagnostic testing for assessment of individual women presenting with symptoms. 

The purpose of this Position Statement is to provide information and recommendations on genetic testing for women diagnosed with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, based on available evidence and on consensus. The scope of this Position Statement encompasses genetic testing for heritable, or germline, gene mutations, with a focus on genetic testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2. The intended audiences are health professionals, medical colleges, consumers, media and policy makers.

Cancer Australia, the Government’s national cancer control agency, aims to reduce the impact of cancer, address disparities and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer, by leading and coordinating national, evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care.

In line with Cancer Australia’s Strategic Plan 2014-2019, the Cancer Australia Statement – Influencing best practice in breast cancer has been developed to improve cancer outcomes and inform effective and sustainable cancer care.

The Australian Government Department of Health's Standing Committee on Screening has considered lung cancer screening and prepared a position statement on lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography, released in 2015.

On the basis of the current evidence and in line with the Population Based Screening Framework, the Standing Committee on Screening does not support an Australian lung cancer screening program, either for the general population or for high risk populations. The Standing Committee on Screening will continue to evaluate and advise on emerging evidence on lung cancer screening. The position statement provides a brief overview of the main points arising from the lung cancer epidemiology literature and explores some key issues related to lung cancer screening in the context of the Australian screening principles.

This position statement applies to the early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women (women without breast changes). The statement does not apply to diagnostic tests used to assess individual women presenting with breast changes.

It is estimated that at least one third of all cancer cases are preventable, and that potentially more than half of all cancers could be avoided through a combination of healthy lifestyle and regular screening. Prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer across the population.  This positon statement includes recommendations for adults to reduce their risk of cancer and stay healthy.

This position statement outlines the evidence for mammographic screening and estimates of overdiagnosis. “Overdiagnosis” from breast screening does not refer to error or misdiagnosis, but rather refers to breast cancer diagnosed by screening that would not otherwise have been diagnosed during a woman’s lifetime. “Overdiagnosis” includes all instances where cancers detected through screening (ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer) might never have progressed to become symptomatic during a woman’s life, i.e., cancer that would not have been detected in the absence of screening.¹ It is not possible to precisely predict at diagnosis, to which cancers overdiagnosis would apply.

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released a position statement to provide information about the assessment and management of cancer clusters. The statement is intended to support guidelines issued by State and Territory Health Departments and Cancer Councils.

This position statement outlines the evidence for mammographic screening and estimates of overdiagnosis. “Overdiagnosis” from breast screening does not refer to error or misdiagnosis, but rather refers to breast cancer diagnosed by screening that would not otherwise have been diagnosed during a woman’s lifetime. “Overdiagnosis” includes all instances where cancers detected through screening (ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer) might never have progressed to become symptomatic during a woman’s life, i.e., cancer that would not have been detected in the absence of screening.¹ It is not possible to precisely predict at diagnosis, to which cancers overdiagnosis would apply.