New call issued for take-up of bowel cancer screening

Public Health England is calling for an increased take-up of bowel cancer screening to ensure the disease is diagnosed earlier.

A new report called Screening Programmes in England 2016 to 2017 has shown that despite a three per cent increase on the previous year, the take-up for bowel cancer screening remains low at 59 percent –  significantly lower than the corresponding 79 percent figure for breast screening and 72 percent for cervical screening.

Of particular concern was the decline seen in the number of men and women taking home cancer tests. To combat this, a new home test will be offered that requires only one stool sample rather than the current three, as well as detecting the disease more accurately.

More than 3,000 bowel cancers have been diagnosed as a result of screening in 2016-17, with 90 percent of these cases leading to cancers being found at an early stage, where treatment is more likely to be successful.

Professor Anne Mackie, Public Health England's director of screening, said: "Men in particular are less likely to send in a sample, so we're asking their partners, children and grandchildren to encourage them to do so."

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