Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK. Almost 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer. More than 9 out of 10 new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50.
1 in 17 men and 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
More than 16,800 people die from bowel cancer in the UK every year. But the number of people dying from bowel cancer has been falling since the 1970’s.
This is due to earlier diagnosis, better treatment options and the start of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
What is Bowel Cancer Screening?
The South of Tyne Bowel Cancer Screening Service
The South of Tyne Bowel Cancer Screening Service manages the screening across Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland in collaboration with Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside & Sunderland Foundation Trust.
Bowel cancer screening helps to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer. It can help prevent bowel cancer or spot it early before symptoms start, when it’s most treatable.
The screening is a home test kit called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). For the test, you’ll collect a small amount of poo. This is sent to a laboratory where it’s tested for blood in the sample that you maybe wouldn’t be able to see yourself.
Screening can help to find Polyps (non-cancerous growths) which may be growing in the bowel. Some polyps can become bowel cancer over time, screening can help to find them so they can be removed before they do.
If the test finds blood in the sample, an appointment will be given with a specialist screening practitioner (SSP) to discuss options for further investigations.
Always see a GP if you have symptoms of bowel cancer at any age, even if you have recently completed a NHS bowel cancer screening test kit – do not wait until another screening test is due.
