CHECK IT OUT
Head-to-toe all the free NHS cancer checks you can get – as thousands of Brits miss out on lifesaving tests
Plus, how often you're invited for each screening, at what age and what to expect from your appointment
THOUSANDS of Brits are missing out on lifesaving cancer screenings as only 70 per cent of invitations are taken up.
Though free checks pick 18,000 cancers each year, some 7,000 cases might go unnoticed until it's too late, according to Cancer Research UK.
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Official figures show around 30 per cent of people invited for free NHS bowel cancer testing do not take up the invitation.
A further 35 per cent of women don't attend breast screening appointments and 31 per cent snub cervical smear test invitations.
Over the years, these missed appointments may have added up to thousands of undetected cancers.
Going off current diagnosis rates, around 30,000 extra breast cancers, 10,000 bowel cancers and 2,000 cervical cancers would have been picked up between 2019 and 2023 if rates were at 100 per cent.
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If you're one of the thousands of Brits not coming forward to get tested, it might be because you don't know what's on offer.
Here are three head-to-toe cancer checks you can get for free on the NHS in England, and the ages you become eligible for them.
1. Breast check
Most women will have been told to check their own breasts for signs of lumps and bumps, but after a certain age you'll be invited for a free NHS breast cancer screening.
You'll automatically get your first invite for up to three years after you hit 50, as long as you're registered to a GP surgery.
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After that, you'll be invited every three years until you turn 71.
If you're a trans man, trans woman or are non-binary, you may be invited automatically, or you may need to talk to your GP surgery or call the local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
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If you have not been invited for breast screening by the time you are 53 and think you should have been, contact your local breast screening service.
But if you're experiencing symptoms of breast cancer before you reach screening age, don't wait to be invited - see a GP.
Do this even if you've recently had a breast screening.
During your appointment, you'll have two breast x-rays, also known as mammograms, on each breast.
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Each will only take a few minutes.
You should get your results within two weeks after your appointment, via letter. Your GP surgery will also be sent a copy.
If there's no signs of breast cancer, that's it until you're next invited for a check-up.
If something is spotted in the mammograms, you might need to have a few more tests done, such as a breast examination, ultrasound scans and biopsy.
Most people who need further tests won't end up diagnosed with breast cancer.
But if there are signs of breast cancer, finding it early means treatment is more likely to be successful.
According to , around 56,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women every year.
Men can also get the disease, with 400 cases picked up each year.
2. Bowel check
Bowel cancer screening can actually be done at home, via a a test called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which looks for blood in a sample of your poo.
It's available to everyone aged 54 to 74, with the programme gradually expanding to those 50-plus after The Sun's No Time 2 Lose campaign.
But the screening will soon be available to people aged 50, thanks to the efforts of Sun writer Dame Deborah James.
Currently, those aged 54 to 74 are automatically sent an at-home test kit every two years, so make sure your GP has your correct address.
The at-home test involves providing a small poo sample to be checked for tiny amounts of blood, which could be caused by cancer.
What are the red flag warning signs of bowel cancer?
IT'S the fourth most common cancer in the UK, the second deadliest - yet bowel cancer can be cured, if you catch it early enough.
While screening is one way of ensuring early diagnosis, there are things everyone can do to reduce their risk of the deadly disease.
Being aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, spotting any changes and checking with your GP can prove a life-saver.
If you notice any of the signs, don't be embarrassed and don't ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of patients with bowel problems.
The five red-flag symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits - going more frequently for example
- Pain or a lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness
- Losing weight
Tumours in the bowel typically bleed, which can cause a shortage of red blood cells, known as anaemia. It can cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.
In some cases bowel cancer can block the bowel, this is known as a bowel obstruction.
Other signs include:
- Gripping pains in the abdomen
- Feeling bloated
- Constipation and being unable to pass wind
- Being sick
- Feeling like you need to strain - like doing a number two - but after you've been to the loo
While these are all signs to watch out for, experts warn the most serious is noticing blood in your stools.
But, they warn it can prove tricky for doctors to diagnose the disease, because in most cases these symptoms will be a sign of a less serious disease.
If you're 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
To do the FIT kit:
- Write the date on the sample bottle.
- Use a clean container to catch your poo. Do not let your poo touch the toilet water. This can be a bit difficult, and you may need to try a few times.
- Open the sample bottle and remove the lid, which has a sample stick attached.
- Gently scrape the end of the sample stick along your poo until all the grooves are covered. Only a small amount is needed.
- Put the sample stick back into the sample bottle and close the lid tightly.
- Wash your hands.
- Check you’ve written the date you did the sample on the sample bottle.
- Put the sample bottle in the envelope included in your test kit and seal it.
- Post the envelope with your sample as soon as you can. Postage is free and you do not need a stamp.
You'll usually get your results within two weeks but don't worry if it takes longer.
If your result says you need further tests, it means blood was found in your poo and needs to be investigated. This could have other causes except cancer, such as an anal fissure or bowel polyps.
You’ll usually need to have a colonoscopy, which is where a camera is used to check inside your bowel.
3. Cervical check
Cervical cancer checks, aka smear tests, are offered to women and people with a cervix every three years between the ages of 25 to 49, and every five years from the age of 50 to 64.
The screening will check the health of your cervix to find any abnormal changes before they turn into cancer.
Specifically, a sample of cells from your cervix will be tested for certain high risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead the development of cancer.
If high risk types of HPV are found during screening, the sample of cells is also checked for abnormal cell changes.
HPV is a super common virus passed on through vaginal, oral and anal sex, sharing sex toys and any skin to skin contact in the genital area.
In most cases your body will get rid of HPV without it causing any problems.
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But sometimes HPV can linger body for a long time, causing changes in your cervix why may turn into cancer.
During the appointment, a nurse will insert a speculum in your vagina to see your cervix and remove a small sample of cells using a soft brush.
Will prostate cancer screening be offered?
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced he was mooting the possibility of prostate cancer screening, following calls from Olympic cycling legend legend Sir Chris Hoy who was diagnosed with the disease aged just 48.
Sir Chris said it is a "no-brainer" to offer testing to men below the current standard age of 50.
Currently, there is no NHS screening programme for prostate cancer although it is the most common type of tumour in men, with 55,000 cases per year.
Men can request a blood test from their doctor once they are older than 50 or if they have possible cancer symptoms.
The charity Prostate Cancer UK called the policy “outdated”.
Spokesperson Chiara De Biase said: “We're grateful to Sir Chris for bravely telling his story and welcome news that the Government is looking into testing men from the age of 45.
“Right now, you need to bring it up with a GP yourself and this is leading to too many men getting a late, incurable diagnosis.
“The system needs to change.”
Charity also called for a national prostate cancer screening programme to be rolled out across the UK.
Under such a programme, men would be checked for the disease between the ages of 50 and 69, while those at higher risk would get called in for tests from the age of 45, the charity's head Oliver Kemp said.
Read more on their calls here.
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