Media Release

New research has revealed people with intellectual disability are at increased risk of cancer, highlighting the urgent need for targeted screening programs, earlier detection and condition-specific prevention strategies.

A new report - Cancer Incidence in People with Intellectual Disability and Down Syndrome in Australia: A Cohort Study, authored by UNSW Sydney researchers Julian Trofimovs, Claire M. Vajdic, Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, Sallie-Anne Pearson and Julian Trollor - shows that people with intellectual disability have a higher risk of developing cancer compared to those without intellectual disability.

The report also found that people with Down syndrome have a significantly higher risk of childhood cancer compared to those with other intellectual disabilities.

Co-author and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health, Scientia Professor Julian Trollor says the findings reveal the importance of age and condition-specific cancer prevention strategies, in particular for people with Down syndrome and other developmental conditions.

"These findings underscore the need to adapt public health efforts and screening practices to better serve people with intellectual disability," Professor Trollor said.

"Clinical awareness, timely diagnosis and tailored surveillance as well as primary prevention are some of the ways to overcome this challenge.

"These changes need to be made in order to ensure that the Australian health system can better assist and serve people with intellectual disability.

"Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but access to screening and effective treatment does.

"If we don’t change our approach, we are effectively accepting worse outcomes for people with intellectual disability.

"These are modest changes, that will result in a fairer and more accessible system, and have the potential to save people’s lives."

In particular, the report calls for targeted health promotion campaigns for people with intellectual disability, and for adults with intellectual disability, customised cancer screening programs to improve access, acceptability and outcomes.

For adults with intellectual disability, the highest risk was observed for bowel cancer. "People with intellectual disability should be actively supported to participate in Australia’s free bowel cancer screening program, which is highly effective at preventing bowel cancer", said co-author Professor Claire Vajdic.

"This report also reinforces our Centre's Position Statement which calls for a nationally coordinated approach to educating and training of the current and future health workforce so they have the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality, inclusive health care to people with intellectual disability." said Professor Trollor.

A copy of the research report – Cancer Incidence in People with Intellectual Disability and Down Syndrome in Australia: A Cohort Study, by Julian Trofimovs, Claire M. Vajdic, Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, Sallie-Anne Pearson and Julian N. Trollor is available here.

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