Bowel cancer screening to start at 50

Public Health England have announced that bowel cancer screening in England is to start earlier at the age of 50, claiming that evidence has shown that screening from a younger age would result in more bowel cancers being picked up at an earlier stage.

The current age for the first invitation for screening is 60 and it then takes place every two years up until the age of 74.

This follows recent recommendations by an independent committee of experts that the screening in England should begin 10 years earlier, as it already is in Scotland.

Public Health England and NHS England are now deciding how and when the plan should be rolled out.

Public Health England’s director of screening Professor Anne Mackie, said “The risk of bowel cancer rises steeply from around age 50-54 and rates are significantly higher among males than females.

“Starting screening 10 years earlier at age 50 will help spot more abnormalities at an early stage that could develop into bowel cancer if not detected.”

Public Health Minister Steve Brine, said “With the roll out of FIT as a new bowel screening test from the autumn – a much more convenient and reliable test – we have a real opportunity to reshape our bowel screening programme and potentially detect the stages of bowel cancer much earlier.

“We are now considering opportunities and taking expert advice on how a sustainable, optimal bowel cancer screening programme starting at age 50 can work in the future.”

Cancer Research UK’s director of earlier diagnosis, Sara Hiom, said “This will mean more cancers can be spotted earlier, saving lives. When bowel cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, 9 in 10 people survive, but when it is detected in the late stages, survival falls to 1 in 10.”

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