The government announced last week that they will be offering everyone over 55 a new hi-tech bowel cancer screening. This comes as a one of a series of announcements related to their new scheme to combat cancer.
Bowel cancer is the third highest cancer diagnosis in the UK next to lung and breast cancer. According to the government the screening programme, which will cost £60m, could save more than 3,000 lives a year and will replace the previous government’s scheme that gets people to send in a stool sample for analysis through the post.
The screening programme will use a technology called the Flexi-scope which consists of a rectal probe which enables early cancer detection through fibre optic technology.
Chief Executive of Cancer Research, Harpal Kumar said:
‘Flexiscope needs to be brought in as soon as possible. Every week of delay will risk scores of lives. Because it will prevent so many cancers, adding this test to the bowel screening programme will spare tens of thousands of families the anxiety and suffering associated with a cancer diagnosis whilst also saving the NHS money.
‘This procedure offers us a tremendous opportunity to push bowel cancer down the league table of cancer cases in the UK.’
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has been announcing new measures to combat cancer over the last week or so. The plans include a £50 million fund to support new cancer drugs and £43 for increasing radiotherapy services.
Mr Lansley said on Monday:
‘I want the NHS to deliver cancer survival rates comparable to the rest of the world.
‘We’re going to introduce an exciting new screening test for bowel cancer which could save up to 3,000 lives a year. We have secured the funding for a four-year roll out and will, subject to the green light from the UK National Screening Committee, begin pilots from spring next year.’