This appeared a day or so ago:
Health tests to think about now, and in the not-too-distant future
So what are the tests available now that could save your life, as well as the tests on the horizon that could revolutionise preventive healthcare? A doctor shares his suggestions.
5:00 AM August 24, 2025
When it comes to our health, prevention is definitely better than cure. Fortunately modern medicine gives us the opportunity to find many diseases in their early stages, allowing treatment before we are affected seriously or permanently.
What, then, are the key health checks all of us should think about – and discuss with our doctors? I’d like to share my suggestions with you.
Australians already are fortunate to have a world-leading set of health screening tests freely available. Adults may participate in screening for bowel, breast, and cervical cancer, and all newborns are eligible for blood-spot and hearing screens.
These national screening programs have a specific aim – to detect common and serious conditions such as bowel cancer in their early stages. Yet there are many other important and common health conditions for which the government does not offer free screening programs, but for which early detection greatly improves the outlook.
While the national screening programs make economic sense – it is cheaper for governments to fund the screening programs than pay for treating the established disease – having other screening tests are much more individual decisions.
I want to share with you some tests available now that could save your life, as well as some tests on the horizon that could revolutionise preventive healthcare.
Deciding whether to have a screening test can be difficult and requires a careful discussion with your doctor. Each of us has different risk factors, life circumstances and needs. There is no single best decision. Screening tests also carry potential harms including the cost of having the test, or of finding something ambiguous that might lead to further tests or unnecessary treatment.
Tests available now
Bone density X-ray
Osteoporosis – thinning of the bones – is a potentially catastrophic condition that puts tens of thousands of people in hospital every year. Almost one in six Australians aged 70 or older is affected. Hip, wrist or spine fractures are not only traumatic but contribute to thousands of deaths every year.
Once osteoporosis is established it is almost impossible to reverse or even stop its progress, making it very difficult to protect against fractures. The good news is that osteoporosis may be prevented in many cases – but the diagnosis must be made years early for prevention to work.
Bone-density scans usually take less than half an hour to perform. An X-ray scanner passes over your body as you lie on a bench, taking images of your lower back and hip region. Like all X-rays the bone density test exposes you to radiation, but fortunately the dose is low. For most people, any risk from this X-ray exposure is greatly outweighed by the opportunity to prevent the complications of osteoporosis.
Who should think about bone-density screening? People with a family history of osteoporosis, especially in women, are at increased risk. Smoking and long-term alcohol consumption are also red flags, as well as conditions that lead to immobility such as arthritis especially if there is long-term treatment with steroids.
Some bone-density tests are covered by Medicare, but not all. The out-of-pocket may be close to $200 in many cases.
Dementia screening
More than 400,000 Australians live with dementia and it is the second most common cause of death in our country. It also is a major cause of debility and brings disruption and sadness to millions of family members and carers. Once established there is no known effective cure.
The absence of an effective cure, however, does not mean that identifying dementia in its early stages is not worthwhile. Indeed the opposite is true – there are many effective ways of improving the outlook for people when the diagnosis is suspected early.
A number of relatively simple tests, such as the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-R), have been shown to be effective in identifying the early signs.
Non-medical treatments such as aerobic exercise and social activities may help to decrease the risk of dementia. Picture: Getty Images
Because dementia can be worsened by other conditions such as depression, cardiovascular disease, or the side effects of medications, the chance to act early to slow the course of the disease should not be missed. Even non-medical treatments such as aerobic exercise, mental stimulation, and social activities may help decrease the risk of cognitive decline.
CT heart calcium score
Heart disease is one of the most common and most serious chronic conditions and almost 60,000 Australians will experience a heart attack each year. If you have risk factors for heart disease – such as high cholesterol, being overweight, or smoking – then you should discuss the test with your doctor. Such a discussion should prompt further assessment of your risk and, if warranted, referral for screening with a CT heart calcium scan.
The test looks for a build-up of calcium in the coronary arteries – the vessels that supply the heart wall muscle. If these vessels become blocked the result is a heart attack. It is a non-invasive process and involves being passed through a CT scanner which takes images of the heart and the blood vessels that supply it, looking for the amount of calcium in the vessel walls.
The amount of calcium is given a score, and a high score likely will lead your doctor to recommend more detailed review and testing. Although the test is not perfect, the early detection of coronary artery disease can be lifesaving. The test is not covered by Medicare and typically will cost somewhere between $200 and $300.
Kidney function test
Some 2.7 million Australians are living with some form of kidney disease and almost 16000 people receive regular dialysis. Around 1000 kidney transplants are performed in Australia every year.
There are many causes of chronic kidney disease, with diabetes accounting for almost 40 per cent of all newly detected cases. High blood pressure is also linked to kidney conditions, as well as immune and genetic conditions. Like the other conditions I have discussed, kidney disease is very difficult to cure once established. Finding it early is the key to a good long-term outlook in most cases.
A urine test looking for blood or protein is one of three components of a kidney screening. Picture: Getty Images
Your doctor can arrange a standard kidney health check easily. The three components of a screening kidney health check are blood-pressure measurement, a urine test looking for blood or protein, and a blood test measuring chemicals such as creatinine that become elevated early in the course of kidney disease. A kidney health check is inexpensive and safe.
A dental check-up
Because routine dentistry isn’t covered by Medicare, many people see dental check-ups as something of a luxury. Nothing could be further from the truth. Untreated dental conditions not only threaten pain and the loss of teeth, but untreated gum disease is associated with heart disease, dementia, and even pregnancy complications.
Many dental conditions progress silently, causing pain or other symptoms only in their very late stages. For this reason each of us ideally should have a dental check once a year, and certainly no longer than two years. Your dentist will look for tooth decay, gum disease, and cancers of the mouth and tongue.
The cost of a check-up with a careful tooth clean will be about $200, a little more if X-rays are required. Looking after your teeth is a very good investment, though, and will pay off handsomely with age. Like all preventive measures, the earlier you can start the better the long-term benefits will be.
Tests for the future
I have covered screening tests that are available now and that are worth discussing with your doctor, but what screening tests are on the horizon? What might we be asking our doctors about in the near future?
DNA screen
The test that everyone is talking about is DNA screen, a simple saliva test that can predict our risk of developing a range of preventable cancers and heart disease. These are among the most common causes of premature death in Australia, and once they produce symptoms are very difficult to treat. Prevention of early heart attack or aggressive bowel or ovary cancer is the only known way to ensure a good outcome.
The technology of the DNA screen test has already been thoroughly assessed and established. Studies have found that one Australian in 50 carries the genes responsible for these formidable health conditions.
The good news is that preventative and risk-reducing measures are available for all of the serious conditions the test might detect. Indeed, so important is the opportunity for risk reduction that testing is best performed before the age of 40 years. Economic studies have shown that the cost of testing would save an enormous amount of money now spent treating cancer or heart disease.
The bad news? Even though this proven testing is available now there is no government funding for DNA screen yet. Hopefully this will change soon and all of us will have the chance to choose to check our risk at minimal cost in the near future.
Cell-free DNA cancer screening
When cancer cells divide their DNA is usually scrambled. This abnormal DNA may be released into the bloodstream once the cells it originated in break down and die. So-called cell-free DNA technology has been used routinely for testing in pregnancy for years now, but could be re-purposed to seek signs of very early cancer growth in the body. Finding abnormal DNA floating free in the bloodstream will allow early cancerous tumours to be found – long before development of symptoms or, indeed, before ultrasounds or other imaging tests show an abnormality.
Detecting abnormal DNA is now a relatively inexpensive technology and only a small amount of blood is needed. This is an exciting space to watch and hopefully will lead to early-stage cancer screening in the very near future.
Whole-body scans
Scanning the whole body with MRI has been offered as a potential way of detecting disease in its early stages, with some celebrities and influencers promoting it. Unfortunately it is way too early to recommend such screening at the moment – but this could be about to change.
Using MRI scans to look for hidden conditions in a person who otherwise seems well and healthy is a recipe for harm as things stand. Such scans are much more likely to detect benign conditions rather than any disease posing serious health risks. When innocent changes are detected people are likely to undergo potentially dangerous testing or even surgery to further investigate the “abnormal findings”. More damage than benefit usually occurs.
Using MRI scans on a person who otherwise seems healthy is a recipe for harm. Picture: Getty Images
That could change and change soon. The use of AI techniques could well help sort out the findings to worry about and what changes could safely be ignored. Although MRI itself is very safe, the cost presently is high and resources are limited. The carbon footprint of such an extensive MRI is considerable too.
In the not-too-distant future, though, and with the help of rapidly advancing AI techniques and energy sustainability, it might well be possible to have a scan that looks for multiple important conditions at an early stage – a concept straight out of science fiction.
Steve Robson is professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Australian National University and former president of the Australian Medical Association. He is a board member of the National Health and Medical Research Council.
This column is published for information purposes only. It is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for independent professional advice about your personal health or a medical condition from your doctor or other qualified health professional.
Here is the link:
A little list to consider if you have some time to get a few tests!
David.
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