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April marks Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and local hospital screening teams are helping to promote the importance of bowel health to visitors and patients in Peterborough and Huntingdon. 

Bowel Cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK; but if spotted early, the more treatable it’s likely to be. 

In fact, more than 9 in 10 people survive bowel cancer when it is diagnosed at the earliest stage – says charity Bowel Cancer UK.

 

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Bowel Cancer Screening Team is helping to highlight the message, supported by the Hunts Community Cancer Group at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, and at Peterborough City Hospital.

The team is staging a series of awareness and information stands to offer advice to visitors, patients and staff about the screening process, as well as handing out leaflets and having screening kits on display. 

In addition, the Trust is supporting a nationwide initiative which has seen the screening age for bowel cancer lowered to 50 in England. 

This means that everyone aged between 50 and 74 is now eligible to receive an at-home easy to use poo testing kit as part of NHS England’s bowel screening programme.

Those aged 50 and 52 should have received their tests by the start of April when they turn 50 or 52, while people aged 51 and 53 will be posted a kit after their next birthday.

Trust bowel cancer screening programme manager Jane Minett said: “The screening programme helps to spot bowel cancer before symptoms start, so we would encourage anyone who is within the age range for the screening programme and receives their kit through the post to complete it.

“The bowel cancer screening programmes uses a test called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) in which a small about of poo is collected and sent to a lab where it is tested for the presence of blood, which cannot be seen by the naked eye.

“Screening can also help to find polyps which may be growing in the bowel. Polyps can become bowel cancer over time, so screening can help to find them so they can be removed before they do.” 

Figures for 2024 compiled by NWAngliaFT (which only started inviting 54-year-olds for screening last year) show that the 60-74 age group have the highest engagement with almost a third (71.17 per cent) who were invited to submit a screening sample doing so.

For those aged 58 who were invited to screen, the take up was almost 65 per cent, with that figure dropping to slightly above 59 per cent for the 56-year age group and 56 per cent for those aged 54.

While bowel cancer can have no symptoms, other signs of cancer may include:

·        Bleeding from the bottom and blood in poo 

·        Persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit 

·        Sudden and unexplained weight loss 

·        Being easily fatigued with no obvious reason or cause 

·        Pain or a lump in the tummy 

 

Information Stands 

The Trust’s information stands, manned by the bowel screening team, are being held between 9am and 3pm on the following days:  

 

Hinchingbrooke Hospital:

• Tuesday 15 and 22 April

• Monday April 7 and 28

Peterborough City Hospital:

·        Thursday 10 and 17 April

Anyone below the age of screening and worried about any symptoms should contact their GP. Details of the Trust’s screening service are available here ... Bowel Cancer Screening Service | NW Anglia Website  while information about the national screening programme can be found here Bowel cancer screening | Bowel Cancer UK | Bowel Cancer UK

pic cap: The Trust's Bowel Cancer Screening Team with members of the Hunts Community Cancer Group at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, and also at Peterborough City Hospital.