Discover why more people are being referred for bowel cancer tests

Genevieve Edwards

Chief Executive, Bowel Cancer UK

Dame Deborah James’ enduring message was to ‘check your poo — it could save your life,’ and it seems like people have been doing just that.

Nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year. Yet, sadly, more than 16,500 people die from the disease each year, making it the second most fatal cancer. But this shouldn’t be the case. It’s treatable and curable — if diagnosed early.

More open conversations on bowel health

Latest figures show thousands more people are urgently being referred for suspected bowel cancer, which we believe is a good indication that people are speaking to their GP about their bowel health after noticing symptoms or changes. For this, we believe we have our patron — the late Dame Deborah James — to thank.

We’re pleased to see that more people are seeking help for potential bowel cancer symptoms. However, the demand for these tests far outweighs the number of appointments available, meaning that if there are more people on the waiting list, the longer they have to wait.

Latest figures show thousands more people are urgently being referred for suspected bowel cancer.

Is qFIT the key to unlocking improvements in early diagnosis?

To help ensure that people with suspected bowel cancer are prioritised for further tests, NHS England is urging GPs to ask patients with potential symptoms of bowel cancer to complete a Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test (qFIT). The test detects very small, hidden quantities of blood in a stool sample, so it is a very good way of identifying when people urgently need a colonoscopy. It means we can rule out bowel cancer quickly for most people and send the right people on for further tests.

A bold ambition: how to keep up with the numbers

We know early diagnosis saves lives, and this was recognised by the Government which set an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at an early stage by 2028. Yet, one of the biggest barriers to this is long-standing workforce shortages in endoscopy and pathology services. To address this, the Health Secretary must urgently publish the 10-Year Cancer Plan which needs to set out a roadmap for how the NHS will meet this ambition and save more lives from bowel cancer.