We love checking things. We check the tyre pressure before a road trip. We check our football tips three times before Thursday night kickoff. We check the gas bottle before committing to a weekend barbecue, and we certainly check the smoke alarms when they start that annoying low-battery beep.
Yet, when it comes to checking the one thing that actually keeps us running (our own health) the collective enthusiasm seems to vanish.
A new campaign launched ahead of World Prostate Cancer Awareness Day on June 11th is shining a light on this exact quirk of human nature. Dubbed ‘Check Mate’ by the ANZUP Cancer Trials Group, the initiative is making a simple point: it is time to stop putting prostate health into the “too hard” basket.
The Hidden Numbers Behind Australia’s Most Common Cancer
It is easy to assume that ignoring a problem makes it disappear, but the latest data tells a vastly different story. Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. Every single day, roughly 79 Australians receive this diagnosis, and tragically, 11 lives are lost.
Despite these confronting statistics, the number of people actually getting tested has steadily plummeted over the last two decades.
A standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test (a simple blood test that serves as the frontline defence for detection) used to be a routine part of aging. Between 2005 and 2009, nearly 68 per cent of Australians aged 50 to 69 had at least one PSA test over a five-year period. Fast forward to the 2014–2018 bracket, and that number dropped to just 48 per cent.
Modern Medicine Has Moved On
Why the sudden reluctance? According to ANZUP Chair and Medical Oncologist, Professor Ian Davis, the drop reflects a historical era of uncertainty. For years, there were valid concerns about overdiagnosis and immediate, aggressive treatments for low-risk cases.
However, medicine has evolved significantly. Today, medical professionals use highly sophisticated risk assessment tools and precise imaging. Finding something early does not mean heading straight to surgery.
Instead, approaches like active surveillance mean low-risk cancers can be safely and quietly monitored without disrupting a patient’s quality of life. The modern medical conversation is no longer a strict binary of testing versus not testing; it is about knowing your personal risk and having an open chat with your local doctor.
A First-Hand Account of Early Detection
For Brad de Plater, a routine PSA test at age 50 completely altered his trajectory. Because his cancer was caught early and deemed low risk, he avoided immediate medical intervention and entered active surveillance.
“Early detection gave me options. It gave me time,” Brad shared, acknowledging that while living with a diagnosis comes with moments of anxiety, the power of choice made all the difference. His advice to others is straightforward: just ask the question.
ANZUP CEO Samantha Oakes reinforces this sentiment, noting that checking does not equal automatic treatment. It simply means putting yourself in the best position to protect your future. With Medicare funding PSA tests every two years for those at average risk, the logistics are no longer an excuse.
The data shows that while testing rates dropped by 5 per cent annually in the ten years leading up to 2018, advanced cancer diagnoses climbed by over 5 per cent each year. The lesson is clear: making the next move is entirely in your hands.
For more info go to: https://checkmate.anzup.org.au/
