Bowel cancer screening starts at home

People in Rochdale will soon be able to test for signs of bowel cancer in the privacy of their own home, by using a special testing kit.

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust (HMRPCT) is introducing the new national Bowel Cancer Screening Programme locally, to help patients detect bowel cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be effective.

People aged between 60 and 69 and registered with a GP will automatically receive a free kit, posted to their home. The test involves collecting a small sample from three separate bowel motions which is then returned to a laboratory for analysis, via a specially designed pre-paid envelope. Those aged 70 and over are being encouraged to call a freephone helpline on 0800 707 60 60 to request a kit.

The roll out of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme locally coincides with National Bowel Cancer Awareness Month - April 2008.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK. The biggest single risk factor for bowel cancer is age, with eight out of ten people who get bowel cancer being over the age of 60. Diet, lifestyle and family history can also affect a person’s chances of developing bowel cancer, with women having a one in 20 chance and men one in 18.

Bernadine O’Sullivan, consultant in public health at HMRPCT, said: “The whole point of the screening programme is to catch problems before they develop and it will only succeed if as many people as possible accept our invitation for a test. This unique programme means that they can access screening at home. The test kit is simple to complete and I strongly encourage everyone offered the opportunity to participate. Bowel cancer screening could reduce deaths from bowel cancer by 16 per cent in those invited for screening.”

The laboratory analyses the samples, looking for tiny traces of blood that may be invisible to the naked eye. The test does not diagnose bowel cancer but gives an indication as to whether further investigations are required. Those people who require further investigation will be referred to a specialist screening nurse-led clinic where the option of a colonoscopy will be discussed.

The colonoscopies will be performed at Bury’s Fairfield General Hospital, which had to achieve JAG (Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) accreditation in order to become a bowel-cancer screening centre. It is only the second screening centre of its kind in Greater Manchester, the other being at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Dr Roger Prudham, consultant gastroenterologist and clinical director for the screening programme at Fairfield General Hospital, said: “We are proud to have secured this important screening service for people across the area. In order to qualify for JAG, we were judged on waiting times for endoscopies at all the hospitals run by Pennine Acute Trust, including Rochdale Infirmary, North Manchester General Hospital and Fairfield General Hospital, so it really has been a team effort to put everything in place for the screening to begin.”

All 60 to 69 year olds in the Borough will receive a leaflet entitled ‘Bowel Cancer Screening – The Facts’ and screening invitation, to help them make an informed choice about whether to take part. Further support is available from the freephone helpline on 0800 707 60 60.