4th October, 2010
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that £60 million will be invested over the next four years in a new technology, flexible sigmoidoscopy, which will be used along existing techniques. It involves a thin, bendy tube with a camera attached being placed a short way into the rectum and lower bowel. The inside wall of the bowel can then be viewed and polyps removed before they develop into bowel cancer.
Professor Julietta Patnick CBE, Director of the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes said:
We're excited by the coalition's commitment to introduce flexible sigmoidoscopy for bowel cancer screening if it is recommended by the National Screening Committee. The addition of flexible sigmoidoscopy will allow us to build on the great success of the existing bowel cancer screening programme. If recommended, we will be busy over the next few months developing the processes and QA procedures that will be needed in order to deliver this new service safely and effectively.
NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme news.
- NHSBCSP home page
- Programme publications
- About bowel screening
- Why screen for bowel cancer?
- What is the purpose of bowel cancer screening?
- Who is eligible for bowel cancer screening?
- Age extension to bowel cancer screening
- How are GPs involved in bowel cancer screening?
- How much does bowel screening cost?
- How does the screening process work?
- What does my bowel cancer screening result mean?
- How does the FOB test work?
- What is a colonoscopy?
- What are the risks of colonoscopy?
- More information about the
screening programme- List of hubs and screening centres
- NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Evaluation Group
- Bowel cancer
- GP Pack (Information for primary care)
- Evaluation of English Bowel Screening Pilot
- Evaluation of the second round of the English Bowel Screening Pilot
- NHS bowel cancer training centres in England
- Use of patient information
- Frequently asked questions
- Bowel scope screening
- Programme news index
- Research in bowel cancer screening
- Useful links