Cancer Council has DES exposure silenced and zipped

Last week the Irish Medical Times published an article to mark Cervical Cancer Prevention Week in Ireland. This article commendably included the statement: Exposure to diethystilboestrol (DES) also increases cervical cancer risk. (www.imt.ie/clinical/2011/01/early-detection-is-key-to-prevention.html)

Sadly in Australia, there is no such nationally held Prevention Week which could help raise awareness of the risks of prenatal DES exposure. In South Australia, there are only some small funding grants provided by the SA Cancer Council to community applicants to promote a Pap Smear Awareness Week in SA.

So far, Cancer Council Australia and the Cancer Councils of Qld, WA, Vic and ACT have responded to the requests of DES Action Australia-NSW to include prenatal DES exposure as a risk in their respective cervical cancer publications. However, our organisation's experience shows that merely including DES information in publications does not go far enough in raising awareness of DES exposure to the Australian public. Even more frustrating, is the low priority status of the NSW Cancer Council's information fact sheet, DES and Cancer Position Statement - tragically positioned well away from direct public attention and dormant with its glaring statement: Many people remain unaware of their exposure and the potential adverse effects of DES.

This week, the Australian Cancer Council and all State and Territory Cancer Councils have been asked by DES Action Australia-NSW : Why isn't there a national Cervical Cancer Prevention Week which could help raise awareness of the risk of prenatal DES exposure?