Alarm over dip in cancer screening

A leading health charity has sounded the alarm over a dip in the proportion of people taking up the offer for cancer screening as new figures show how effective the tests are at catching cancers early.

Cancer Research UK analysis show that breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programmes have jointly spotted nearly 90,000 cancers between 2019 and 2023.

This includes 62,000 cases of breast cancer, 23,000 cases of bowel cancer and 4,400 cases of cervical cancer.

But the charity expressed concern over dwindling screening participation for breast and cervical cancer tests.

Around around 70% of eligible people take up the offer for bowel cancer screening, 69% of those invited take part in cervical cancer screening and 65% take part in breast cancer screening.

And cervical cancer screening has steadily declined over the last decade – from 74.2% in 2014 to 68.7% in 2023.

And it said that more can be done to target the 30% of people who do not take up the offer of bowel cancer screening, even though participation in this screening service has increased in recent years.

CRUK has called for action to make screening easier to access for people in England – including letting people book out of hours.

Charity chief executive Michelle Mitchell said that increasing access to screening “means better chances of catching cancer early”.

And the charity said that the NHS’ target to diagnose 75% of all cancers at an early stage (stage 1 or 2) by 2028 is “not on track” but improving screening will be “vital” to achieve this aim.

Ms Mitchell said: “Every year, screening programmes help spot thousands of cancer cases across England.

“But there’s so much more that can be done.

“Making screening more digital, and improving data collection to know who is and isn’t coming forward, will help to target people who currently miss their appointments, but would like to attend. This is essential – better access to screening means better chances of catching cancer early.”

Cancer Research UK senior health information manager, Dr Claire Knight, added: “The three screening programmes are available to different groups of people – you can find out if you’re eligible on the NHS website. For most people, if you’re registered with a GP, you will automatically be invited for screening, but speak to your doctor if you’re not sure.

“Your screening invite will also come with information about the process. Make sure to read this before deciding whether you want to attend.

“It’s important to remember that cancer screening is for people without symptoms though. If you notice any changes that aren’t normal for you don’t wait for your next screening invite, talk to your doctor. It probably won’t be cancer, but if it is, spotting it early means that treatment is more likely to be successful.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “When it comes to fighting cancer, every second counts and as these figures show, our screening programmes are detecting thousands of cases.

“We urge everyone to accept the offer of screening because early diagnosis leads to more effective treatment and can save lives.

“As part of our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS fit for the future and fight cancer on all fronts – through prevention, faster diagnosis, treatment and research.”