New smarter test for picking up bowel cancer
AN IMPROVED TYPE of bowel cancer test will be sent out to those aged 60 to 74 from this autumn, says Public Health England. The new faecal immunochemical home test kit (FIT) is both easier to use and more accurate in detecting potential cancers than the current one. There are also plans to send the kits to people aged over 50, who are not currently offered home testing, although the date for this is still to be decided. Evidence shows screening people at a younger age would mean the disease is picked up at an earlier stage, when treatment is likely to be more effective and survival chances improved.
‘From the age of about 50 to 54, the risk of bowel cancer rises steeply, and rates are significantly higher among men than women,’ says Professor Anne Mackie, director of screening at Public Health England. ‘Starting screening 10 years earlier, at 50, will help spot more abnormalities at an early stage that could develop into bowel cancer if not detected.’