Australian Government launches online tool to calculate your cancer risk

In 2016, it is estimated that there will be 130470 cancers diagnosed in Australia and 47,380 people will die from cancer in Australia but according to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one third of cancers are preventable.

Yesterday, Federal Minister for Health Sussan Ley launched Check Your Cancer Risk, an interactive online tool to help people understand how lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of exercise and being overweight, can contribute to their risk of cancer.

Check Your Cancer Risk was developed and based on Cancer Australia’s Position Statement on Lifestyle Risk Factors and the Primary Prevention of Cancer, which provides a summary of the international evidence regarding modifiable lifestyle factors and cancer risk and concise recommendations on how to reduce risk.

CEO of Cancer Australia Professor Helen Zorbas said “a recent survey by Cancer Australia showed while smoking and excessive UV radiation are well-known risks, other lifestyle choices such as alcohol consumption, excess weight and low levels of physical activity pose risks that are not always fully appreciated”.

“The evidence is well established,” she said. “Four of the top five most commonly diagnosed cancers in Australia, lung, bowel, melanoma and breast cancers, are also among the most preventable.”

What’s Your Cancer Risk?

Calculating your cancer is easy with the Check Your Cancer Risk online tool and it only takes about 5 minutes to complete. After identifying your gender, age and postcode, you will be asked some simple questions about your lifestyle and be given either a smiley face or a sad face for each lifestyle factor, along with some advice from Cancer Australia. At the end of the questionnaire you’ll receive ‘Your cancer risk summary’ (see screenshot on the left) which you can then share on Facebook if you wish.

You can also see how you compare with other Australians of your age and gender based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

The Check Your Cancer Risk tool, information and ‘how to’ advice is available on the Cancer Australia Website at www.canceraustralia.gov.au/yourcancerrisk.