Bowel Screening QA
Facts about Bowel Cancer
About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. It is the third most common cancer in the UK, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths, with over 16,000 people dying from it each year.
Bowel Cancer Screening
Bowel cancer screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms), when treatment is more likely to be effective.
Bowel cancer screening can also detect polyps. These are not cancers, but may develop into cancers over time. They can easily be removed, reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing.
Who is eligible for bowel screening?
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 69. Participants are sent a Faecal Occult Blood test (FOBt) kit which they complete at home and send to a laboratory for testing. Anyone with a positive result is referred for a colonoscopy and any necessary treatment.
Age extension
In December 2007 the Cancer Reform Strategy stated that the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme would be extending the age range for screening from April 2010 to invite men and women up to their 75th birthday.
During January 2010 a wave of early implementers went live with the age extension to the programme. From April 2010 onwards as screening centres complete their first two - year screening round they are rolling out services to the extended population (subject to meeting criteria and subsequent approval by national office).
