Bowel Screening

What is bowel cancer screening?

• Until recently, we didn't have enough evidence to show whether a National Screening Programme for bowel cancer would help prevent the disease or be cost effective.
• But results from large scale Government pilot studies have shown that national screening would be beneficial.
• These results mean that the Government are introducing a National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme for men and women aged between 60 and 69.

What is the purpose of bowel cancer screening?

• Bowel cancer screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be effective. Bowel cancer screening can also detect polyps.
• These are not cancers, but may develop into cancers over time. They can easily be removed, reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing.

How will the screening process work?

• Men and women eligible for screening will receive an invitation letter and an information leaflet entitled Bowel Cancer Screening - The Facts. About a week later, a faecal occult blood (FOB) test kit will be sent out along with step-by-step instructions for completing the test at home and sending the samples to the laboratory. The results will be sent out to you within 2 weeks.

How does the FOB test work?

• Polyps and bowel cancers sometimes bleed, and the faecal occult blood (FOB) test works by detecting tiny amounts of blood which cannot normally be seen in bowel motions. 'Occult' means hidden.
• The FOB test does not diagnose bowel cancer, but the results will indicate whether further investigation (usually a colonoscopy) is needed.

What is a colonoscopy?

• A colonoscopy is an investigation that involves looking directly at the lining of the large bowel.

• A sedative is given and then a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera attached is passed into the back passage and guided around the bowel. If polyps are found, most can be removed painlessly, using a wire loop passed down the colonoscope tube. These tissue samples are then checked for any abnormal cells that might be cancerous. 

How has the Cobalt Appeal Fund continued to support local screening services?

Bowel cancer screening

• The Cobalt Appeal Fund funded the post of Research Registrar in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust.
• Adrian Thuraisingam developed endoscopy based training methodologies for clinical staff, both at local and national level in the UK. The initiative formed part of a wider strategy to improve training of all endoscopy health professionals and prepare the country for bowel cancer screening.
• People residing in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire will benefit from this patient-focused research. Patients with suspected gastrointestinal-related cancer will be able to expect appropriate and rapid access to high quality endoscopic services locally.
• Dr Anderson - Consultant General Physician and Gastroenteroligist for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust said "The whole package of training received great acclaim and is now internationally recognised and we are leaders in the field of endoscopy service delivery and skills training. Ultimately it is the patients and population in general who will be best served by this research."