Source:Â Prostate Cancer Foundation
The Prostate Cancer Foundation of NZ has reacted positively to the new initiatives announced by the government to improve screening of women in Aotearoa for cervical and breast cancers. However, the charity believes that the initiatives do highlight a disparity in approaches towards different cancers by successive governments and in the health system.
âIt is heartening to see the Government’s willingness to listen and react to the new science around how best to protect the population from the devastating effects of cancerâ says Peter Dickens, Chief Executive of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.Â
âThe move to screening for the HPV virus in women shows that they are willing to adopt the gold standard practice already in place in other countries. However, in the case of prostate cancer, the government’s approach is informed by outdated and superseded views that we believe significantly understate the benefit of screening for the disease using the PSA test.â