Life-saving bowel cancer tests rolled out to 830,000 more Brits thanks to Sun’s Dame Debs
ANOTHER 830,000 people will be offered NHS bowel cancer screening — just as late Sun columnist Dame Deborah James hoped.
Home test kits will go to 54-year-olds.
It is the latest win for our No Time 2 Lose campaign which called for routine testing to start at 50 rather than 60.
The drive was spearheaded by Dame Deborah who died of the disease last summer aged 40.
Her parents, Heather and Alistair James, said: “This marks another vital step to saving more lives.
“The earlier you are diagnosed the greater your survival chances.
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“Deborah would be over the moon to know more people now have a chance — one she was never afforded.”
Steve Russell, at NHS England, added: “Over two thirds of people are returning tests.
“We want to see even more take-up.”
People sent the faecal immunochemical test, or FIT, kits simply return a small poo sample so a lab can check for invisible traces of blood.
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Only two in 100 people get a red flag result and need further tests but catching tumours early is key to boosting survival.
The latest move means 7.2million people are now eligible for FIT testing in England.
The NHS plans to offer it to everyone aged 50 to 74 by 2025.
Bowel cancer is the third most common type in England as obesity and bad diets lead to more cases in young and middle-aged adults.
Lynn Dunne, chief of the charity Bowel Research UK, said: “This expansion will undoubtedly save lives, especially now the incidence of the disease is increasing in the under-60s.
“No other cancer is so reliant on early diagnosis to prevent emergency surgery.
“It’s a very simple test, which takes only minutes and can be done in the privacy and comfort of your home.”
Dr Lisa Wilde, from Bowel Cancer UK, added: “This is fantastic news and a massive step towards screening from 50 in England.
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“Screening is one of the best ways to detect bowel cancer early and can often find it before symptoms develop.
“It could save your life and we would encourage everyone to complete the test when they receive it.”
