NHS Bowel Cancer Testing Program Could see Extra 830,000 People Eligible

The NHS is extending its screening platform for bowel cancer to English citizens who are aged 54 or over in an effort to identify the illness’s initial symptoms.  

The aim of this project is to increase the number of self-administered faecal immunochemical tests that are available. These kits can be used to identify symptoms of colon cancer.  

The new implementation will see a further 830,000 individuals qualify for the diagnostic kits.   

The adoption of the kits across England has increased from 59% to 67% since its launch in 2019, which has resulted in increased cancer diagnosis’ in comparison to prior testing platforms. 

Steve Russel, NHS England Vaccinations and Screening National officer, commented, “Lives are saved when cancers are caught early and this expansion of our bowel cancer screening programme to those aged 54 will help to spot signs of bowel cancer sooner, and potentially save thousands of lives.” 

Russel went on to add, “We are seeing positive uptake of the home testing FIT kits, with over two-thirds of those eligible returning their tests, but we want to see even more people taking up the offer.” 

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