Bowel cancer screening drive 'set to save 150 lives a year'

A NEW nationwide screening programme for bowel cancer will save up to 150 lives a year, Health Minister Andy Kerr said today.

All men and women in Scotland aged between 50 and 74 will be targeted by the scheme, which the Scottish Executive says will be second only to the smoking ban in tackling cancer.

Once implementation is complete, around 650,000 people will be issued with home test kits every year and individuals will be screened once every two years.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland and claimed 1550 lives in 2005. There were 3365 new cases diagnosed in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available.

In the Lothians, around 450 men and women are diagnosed every year, with just over half of patients diagnosed with the disease surviving more than five years.

A campaign to increase public awareness of bowel cancer is also being launched in conjunction with today's announcement.

Mr Kerr said: "When it comes to cancer, early diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death. That's why we're investing £9 million a year in rolling out the UK's most comprehensive bowel screening programme. "Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland. Once up and running, we hope to be screening well over half a million people annually. Evidence shows this will save around 150 lives every year."

He said experts had suggested that after the smoking ban, the nationwide screening for bowel cancer was the most significant policy decision in the cancer area for many years.

But he added: "A screening programme can only be successful if people participate in it, and I would encourage anyone who receives a test kit to take part."

The communications campaign to support the screening programme starts immediately. Successful pilots of the scheme have been running in Tayside, Grampian and Fife since 2000.

The first phase of the roll-out across Scotland begins in June and all health board areas will be involved in the programme by 2009.

The Scottish Bowel Screening Centre will be based in Dundee, from where all test kits will be issued, returned and tested. The centre will also host a helpline.

The announcement was backed by those working in the field. Tim Searles, head of operations in Scotland for Bowel Cancer UK, said: "Bowel Cancer UK warmly welcomes the launch of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme today and we wish it every success. We will be fully supporting and helping its roll-out."

Hilary Whittaker, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, added: "There is no doubt that bowel cancer screening will save lives. Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, but if picked up early enough it can be very treatable.

"A screening programme can only be successful if people participate, and I would encourage anyone who receives a test kit to take part."