Bowel Cancer Screening
Bowel screening aims to find cancer early or to find changes in your bowel that could lead to cancer. The screening programmes send a bowel cancer testing kit every 2 years to people who can take part. You need to be registered with a GP to receive your screening invitations. The test is called FIT – Faecal Immunochemical Test. It looks for tiny traces of blood. You do the test at home. The kit contains instructions of what to do including a prepaid envelope to send the sample to the hospital. You receive a bowel cancer screening kit if you’re aged between 60 and 74 years. Some people may now receive a test before they turn 60. This is because NHS England is gradually expanding this programme to also invite people aged between 50 and 59.
Please click here for more information on FIT tests.
Cervical Screening
The NHS cervical screening programme invites women aged between 25 and 64 for cervical screening. Cervical screening is also for anyone within this age range who has a cervix, such as trans men and non-binary people. The screening test aims to pick up changes early that could develop into cervical cancer if left untreated. Cervical screening is a way of preventing cancer. It tests for a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). High risk HPV can cause cervical cells to become abnormal. Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are linked to high-risk HPV. The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the lowest part of the womb and is at the top of the vagina. A nurse takes a sample of cells from the cervix using a small soft brush (smear test) and sends the sample to the laboratory.
Breast Screening
The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites all women from the age of 50 to 70 for screening every 3 years. This means that some people may not have their first screening mammogram until they are 52 or 53 years. Cancer screening involves testing apparently healthy people for signs that could show that a cancer is developing. Breast screening uses a test called mammography which involves taking x-rays of the breasts. Screening can help to find breast cancers early when they are too small to see or feel. These tiny breast cancers are usually easier to treat than larger ones. It is important to remember that screening will not prevent you from getting breast cancer but aims to find early breast cancers. Overall, the breast screening programme finds cancer in around 9 out of every 1,000 women having screening. Breast screening is also for some trans or non-binary people. Talk to your GP or Gender Identity Clinic about this.