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Screening for cervical and bowel cancer updated (19 January 2016)

Date: 19/01/2016
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Screening for cervical and bowel cancer updated

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has published a number of recommendations on screening for bowel cancer and other conditions.

The independent expert committee made 11 recommendations in total, including improvements to existing screening programmes for cervical cancer, bowel cancer, as well as screening for Down’s syndrome and other related conditions, as well as eye screening for people with diabetes.

The committee recommended that the faecal immunochemical Test (FIT) should replace the current first test used in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme – replacing the current Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) test with FIT provides the opportunity to detect and prevent more cancers and is easier to use, the committee decided.

The committee also recommended that non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) be introduced as an additional test in the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) as part of an evaluation.

Ongoing monitoring and evaluation will mean that the test is rolled out across England in such a way that the screening programme can be altered, if necessary, in light of any real life findings.

FASP offers screening to women in pregnancy to find out how likely it is that their baby has Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome, or Patau’s syndrome. The new test is more accurate, meaning that fewer women will need unnecessary diagnostic tests – which can potentially mean a small risk of losing their baby.

Currently the NHS Cervical Screening Programme uses cytology testing to look for abnormal cells which could be the first sign of cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is used as a secondary measure in women needing further investigation. Evidence suggests that screening for HPV first would be a more effective way of detecting women who may be at risk of developing cervical cancer, says the committee.

The committee also recommends that people with diabetes who are at low risk of sight loss only need to attend eye screening tests every two years, rather than annually. Evidence has shown that it is safe to reduce screening for people at low risk of losing their sight, while the screening interval for people with a high risk of sight loss will remain as an annual test.

Director of Programmes for the UK NSC, Dr Anne Mackie, said:

“The latest recommendations which propose changes to existing screening programmes would bring about considerable improvements.

“We hope that, once implemented, these changes would help identify more people who would benefit from early treatment – and, in some cases, save lives every year.

“All recommendations made by the committee are based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.”

At the same meeting, the UK NSC did not recommend introducing screening programmes for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in newborns, glaucoma, hearing loss in older adults, mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), neuroblastoma in children, or oral cancer or prostate cancer.

The UK NSC says it will review all these recommendations again in three years, as part of its regular evidence review process – or earlier, if significant new evidence becomes available.

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