BOWEL CANCER SCREENING AND PREVENTION

Wolfson endoscopy procedure room

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, affecting 34,000 people each year, and the second biggest cancer killer, claiming the lives of 16,000 each year.

Why do we have screening?
Screening is when we look for evidence of a disease (in this case bowel cancer) in people who have no symptoms. The aim is to find diseases at an early stage when there is a better chance of a person being successfully treated. Screening is not a diagnostic test. Finding an abnormal result in screening may show that a person is at risk of a disease. Further tests will be needed to make an accurate diagnosis.

Why screen for bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer is a major public health problem. It is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United Kingdom. Research has shown that screening for bowel cancer can help reduce death rates by finding and treating bowel cancer early. It is predicted that deaths from bowel cancer could drop by 15% as a result of screening. Nationally, screening for bowel cancer could save approximately 2,500 lives each year. Patients whose cancer is discovered early have more treatment options and a better long term outlook.