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VICS Colorectal Cancer Optimal Care Summit – Key Outcomes for BSW Region

Barwon South Western

The VICS Colorectal Cancer Optimal Care Summit was held on Friday 28 February 2025 in Melbourne.

The event brought together stakeholders from across Victoria to reflect on colorectal cancer care patterns and outcomes.

A key positive message from the day was that colorectal cancer incidence rates continue to decline, while survival rates have continued to improve slightly across the state.

The key take-home messages relevant for BSW region include:

  • Early onset colorectal cancer (< age 50) incidence is increasing statewide, and this group of patients tend to present with more advanced disease.
  • Time from positive screening to colonoscopy appears to be increasing statewide.
  • Time from diagnosis to first treatment in the BSW region is quite good, with performance in line with or ahead of other regions.
  • Time from first surgery to stoma reversal has increased in the BSW region since 2017–2019, consistent with statewide patterns.
  • Multidisciplinary Meeting (MDM) presentation rates appear to have declined in the region overall. However, a more detailed breakdown reveals significant variation between health services.

The BSWRICS team is currently following up these findings with local health services to explore opportunities for improvement and collaboration.