New NHS bowel cancer screening to be offered to 830,000 more people

Background

830,000 more people in the UK will now be offered NHS bowel cancer screening, following a successful campaign led by the late Sun columnist Dame Deborah James. The campaign, called No Time 2 Lose, called for routine testing to start at the age of 50 instead of 60. Dame Deborah, who died from the disease at the age of 40, spearheaded the drive to lower the screening age.

Saving Lives

For Deborah's parents, Heather and Alistair James, this is another vital step towards saving more lives. They believe that early diagnosis greatly improves survival chances. Deborah herself would be thrilled to know that more people now have the opportunity for early detection, something she was never afforded.

Increasing Take-Up

The NHS hopes to see even more people take up the screening offer. Currently, over two-thirds of people are returning the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits. The FIT kit requires individuals to provide a small stool sample, which is then checked for invisible traces of blood in a lab. Only 2 in 100 people receive a red flag result and require further testing. Catching tumours early is crucial for improving survival rates.

Expanding Eligibility

This latest development means that a total of 7.2 million people in England are now eligible for FIT testing. The NHS plans to offer screening to everyone aged 50 to 74 by 2025. Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer in England, with cases increasing among young and middle-aged adults due to factors such as obesity and poor diets.