Colorectal cancer screening

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is common. It affects 1 in 14 men and 1 in 19 women in the UK, and is responsible for 1 in 10 deaths. Cancers detected at an early stage can be treated effectively resulting in over 90% 5-year survival rates, but overall 5-year survival is 55% because many cancers are detected at much later stages when survival rates are greatly reduced. A national screening programme using faecal occult blood testing to detect pre-cancerous polyps and early stage colorectal cancers was started in the UK in 2006 and rolled out across the country in 2009. This article overviews the UK National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and also highlights patient groups at high risk of colorectal cancer who should be referred for colonoscopic screening outside the current national screening programme.