Cancer is one of the 9 National Health Priority Areas (NHPA), areas that represent a significant portion of the disease burden, but which have significant potential for improvement. In Australia, CRC is the second most common cancer, after prostate cancer (in men) and breast cancer (in women) (AIHW, Cancer Incidence Projections). The incidence has gradually increased (by 13% in males from 1982 to 2007) (AIHW, Cancer in Australia an Overview). Added to this is the aging population and population growth, with 14,860 new cases in 2010 (http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/bowel-cancer). This graph demonstrates this upward trend ((AIHW, Cancer Incidence Projections):(AIHW, Cancer Incidence Projections)Note that the introduction of screening may produce short-term increases (AIHW, Cancer Incidence Projections) due to increased detection.Therefore, the high incidence rate is of great importance for public health, as it puts a strain on the healthcare system and broader sectors and generates considerable morbidity.In addition, CRC has an impact substantial in terms of mortality, although mortality rates are decreasing with better treatments and screening 3999 deaths were directly attributable to CRC in 2011, and only lung cancer has a higher cancer mortality (http://www). .cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/bowel-cancer). or disability, so it is composed of years of life lost (YLL) and years of healthy life lost (YLD) (AIHW, Cancer in Australia). an overview). YLD for cancers may include adverse effects of treatment, including chemotherapy, and additional psychosocial effects. CRC has both a high YLL and a high... middle of the card... and caregivers) will share the cost of pain and suffering, treatment and other out-of-pocket expenses, loss of income and funeral expenses. Employers may face absenteeism, lost productivity, idle resources or potential rehiring and retraining of replacements (Cancer Council, Cost of Cancer in NSW). This has flow-on effects on end consumers who have to pay more for goods and services to cover these costs. Similarly, the government loses tax revenue due to loss of income and must provide services such as welfare, respite/palliative care and education (Cancer Council, Cost of Cancer in NSW). Finally, the rest of society, such as non-governmental organizations and charities, shoulder the costs of community programs and education (Cancer Council, Cost of Cancer in NSW). This indicates that the CRC ultimately has a pervasive reach, affecting all strata of society and its members.