The NHS are rolling out the next phase of their life-saving screening programme with 58-year-olds now set to be sent a home-testing kit that helps detect early signs of bowel cancer.
As part of the major expansion, Faecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) will now automatically be sent to 58-year-olds, with approximately 830,000 people estimated to be immediately eligible.
The home-testing kits works by examining a small amount of faeces and recording the presence of blood in the sample – eligible members of the population will be sent an invitation letter and a full set of accompanying instructions.
London has the lowest uptake rate in the country, meaning the capital will be one of the first places to roll out to 58-years-olds
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer with approximately 43,000 people being diagnosed with the disease in the UK every single year.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “The FIT kit offers people a chance to quickly and safely test for bowel cancer at home, and this expansion of the screening programme will ensure more cases are detected earlier.
“More than 16,000 people die from this disease every year in the UK, meaning that greater screening uptake is vital.
“I urge you to use the kit when it lands on your door and stay alert for the main symptoms of bowel cancer, such as abdominal pain or blood in the stool, to help stop the disease in its tracks.”
FIT kits are already available to all those aged between 60 and 74 as well as most 56-year-olds in England. Since the test was first introduced in April 2019, national uptake has risen from 59.2% to 66.8%.
As a result of this increased uptake, more cancers are being detected that when the previous test was in use, with around 2% of people who use a FIT kit requiring further testing.
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “This is a step in the right direction towards screening from 50, which we’ve long campaigned for. Screening is one of the best ways to diagnose bowel cancer early, or in some cases prevent it from developing in the first place, and so inviting more people to take part is welcomed.
“Offering the home test to more people is just one of the ways to improve bowel screening, however, the biggest barrier to improving early diagnosis, and offering a world-class screening programme, is the long-standing workforce shortage in endoscopy and pathology services. The new Prime Minister must urgently address this in the upcoming 10-Year Cancer Plan to meet the ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers early by 2028.”
