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NHS Bowel Cancer Screening
What is Bowel Cancer?
Bowel Cancer occurs when the cells lining the bowel grow too quickly and form a clump
known as a bowel polyp. Polyps are usually benign and are not cancer. However, a polyp
can change into a malignant cancer over a number of years.
Both men and women can develop bowel cancer but 8 out of 10 people diagnosed with
bowel cancer are over the age of 60. Amongst the factors thought to increase the risk of
getting bowel cancer are: a family history of bowel cancer, a diet high in red meat but low in
fruit, vegetables and fibre, being overweight and taking insufficient exercise. People with
a strong family history of bowel cancer are more at risk of developing it at a younger age.
According to the Government one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer at some
point in their lives. According to the charity G.U.T.S. (Guildford Undetected Tumour Screening)
20,000 people a year die from it every year. 300 people in West Surrey alone are diagnosed
every year. It is the second most common cause of cancer death. However, over the last
10 years, the death rate from bowel cancer has fallen by 17%, largely due to screening, early
detection and treatment.
Screening
Regular screening for bowel cancer has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from the
disease by 16 or 17% by detecting and treating it at an early stage or by detecting and
removing polyps before they have a chance of developing into cancer.
The NHS is currently introducing a bowel cancer screening service in particular areas. There
will be 5 centres (hubs). They are Rugby (for West Midlands and the North East), Guildford,
(for the South), St Marks (London), Gateshead (North East) and Nottingham (East). The
Government expects that the entire country will be covered by the programme by 2008/9.
Guildford has been operational since September 2006 and all 5 hubs should be up and
running by March 2007. Guildford will provide screening for 14 million people across the
south from Devon to Kent.
Bowel Cancer occurs when the cells lining the bowel grow too quickly and form a clump
known as a bowel polyp. Polyps are usually benign and are not cancer. However, a polyp
can change into a malignant cancer over a number of years.
Both men and women can develop bowel cancer but 8 out of 10 people diagnosed with
bowel cancer are over the age of 60. Amongst the factors thought to increase the risk of
getting bowel cancer are: a family history of bowel cancer, a diet high in red meat but low in
fruit, vegetables and fibre, being overweight and taking insufficient exercise. People with
a strong family history of bowel cancer are more at risk of developing it at a younger age.
According to the Government one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer at some
point in their lives. According to the charity G.U.T.S. (Guildford Undetected Tumour Screening)
20,000 people a year die from it every year. 300 people in West Surrey alone are diagnosed
every year. It is the second most common cause of cancer death. However, over the last
10 years, the death rate from bowel cancer has fallen by 17%, largely due to screening, early
detection and treatment.
Screening
Regular screening for bowel cancer has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from the
disease by 16 or 17% by detecting and treating it at an early stage or by detecting and
removing polyps before they have a chance of developing into cancer.
The NHS is currently introducing a bowel cancer screening service in particular areas. There
will be 5 centres (hubs). They are Rugby (for West Midlands and the North East), Guildford,
(for the South), St Marks (London), Gateshead (North East) and Nottingham (East). The
Government expects that the entire country will be covered by the programme by 2008/9.
Guildford has been operational since September 2006 and all 5 hubs should be up and
running by March 2007. Guildford will provide screening for 14 million people across the
south from Devon to Kent.
G.U.T.S.
People in Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire have benefited from the screening
services offered by the charity GUTS (Guildford Undetected Tumour Screening) since 1983.
G.U.T.S is led by Professor Christopher Marks who was Professor of Surgical Oncology,
and a noted specialist in Colo-rectal surgery at the Royal Surrey County Hospital until his
recent retirement.
The new Guildford Hub for NHS bowel cancer screening will be housed in the Post Graduate
Medical School at the University of Surrey. In 2005, the charity GUTS donated £200,000
and pledged to raise a further £100,000 to support the new building and provide state-of-the-
art equipment.
Many people will have seen the G.U.T.S piggy bank collecting boxes around the hospitals
Who is screening for?
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme will offer screening to all men and women
aged between 60 to 69 every 2 years. People over 70 will also be able to request a screening
kit.
What does it involve?
1. People between the ages of 60 and 69 will initially receive a letter and leaflet explaining
the scheme.
2. Roughly a week later they will receive a home sample kit with detailed instructions. This
is simply a way of taking a stool sample at home. The kit is then sent to the testing centre.
The results take about a fortnight.
3. 98% of tests are quite normal. The 98% of people with normal results will then be called
again 2 years later for routine screening. 4% of people will have an unclear result due
to something like piles. These people may be asked to do a further test which will
usually be normal.
4. The 2% who have an abnormal test will be asked to have further investigations, usually
a colonoscopy which is simply a way of inspecting the inside of the bowel with a camera.
You have a sedative first to make the process easier.
50% of people who have a colonoscopy have a normal result.
40% are found to have a polyp which can then be removed to prevent any chance of it
becoming malignant in the future
10% of people having colonoscopy will be found to have cancer. That is two in a
thousand of people who are being screened.
As with all procedures, colonoscopy does carry some small risks, mainly of bleeding, but
The potential benefits in preventing very serious illness generally far outway the risks.
If you receive a letter about screening for bowel cancer, there will be a freephone number you
can ring for further information or you can always discuss it with your G.P.
For Further information select this link: [ Department of Health Web Site ]
2. Roughly a week later they will receive a home sample kit with detailed instructions. This
is simply a way of taking a stool sample at home. The kit is then sent to the testing centre.
The results take about a fortnight.
3. 98% of tests are quite normal. The 98% of people with normal results will then be called
again 2 years later for routine screening. 4% of people will have an unclear result due
to something like piles. These people may be asked to do a further test which will
usually be normal.
4. The 2% who have an abnormal test will be asked to have further investigations, usually
a colonoscopy which is simply a way of inspecting the inside of the bowel with a camera.
You have a sedative first to make the process easier.
50% of people who have a colonoscopy have a normal result.
40% are found to have a polyp which can then be removed to prevent any chance of it
becoming malignant in the future
10% of people having colonoscopy will be found to have cancer. That is two in a
thousand of people who are being screened.
As with all procedures, colonoscopy does carry some small risks, mainly of bleeding, but
The potential benefits in preventing very serious illness generally far outway the risks.
If you receive a letter about screening for bowel cancer, there will be a freephone number you
can ring for further information or you can always discuss it with your G.P.
For Further information select this link: [ Department of Health Web Site ]