NHS Bowel Cancer Screening
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Thousands of bowel cancer cases will be caught earlier or prevented altogether under a major NHS overhaul that lowers the sensitivity threshold for home screening kits across England.

NHS England announced on 26 January that it will reduce the level of blood required to trigger urgent cancer checks from 120 micrograms per gram of faeces to 80 micrograms, effective from next month. The change brings England in line with Scotland and Wales, where the lower threshold has already been in use, according to NHS England.

Health officials estimate the adjustment will detect roughly 600 additional bowel cancers at an early stage each year. That represents an 11 per cent increase. Another 2,000 people with high-risk polyps will also be identified, allowing them to have preventative surgery before any malignancy develops.

How The New Threshold Works

The faecal immunochemical test, or FIT, gets posted to everyone aged 50 to 74 every two years. People collect a small stool sample at home and send it back to a lab for analysis. The process itself remains unchanged. What shifts is the point at which results trigger a follow-up colonoscopy.

Under the previous system, only those with at least 120 micrograms of blood per gram of faeces were referred for further investigation. The new 80 microgram threshold means the NHS will perform 35 per cent more screening colonoscopies annually. Currently, about 2 in 100 people who complete their screening require further tests. That figure is expected to rise to 3 in 100.

Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England, described it as a 'major step forward' that will save hundreds of lives. He said the lower threshold provides a better early-warning system, helping clinicians spot and treat cancers before symptoms appear.

Pilot Results Show Promise

Eight early-adopter sites in England have already tested the lower threshold. Results have been encouraging. Those pilots detected more than 60 additional bowel cancers and nearly 500 high-risk polyps that might otherwise have been missed, Cancer Research UK reported.

NHS England plans to roll out the new threshold nationally by March 2028. Once fully implemented, late-stage diagnoses and deaths from bowel cancer are projected to fall by around 6 per cent. The health service also expects to save roughly £32 million ($40 million) each year through earlier intervention.

Cancer Charities Welcome The Change

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at Cancer Research UK, said the decision will save lives by catching more cancers at an earlier stage when treatment is more likely to succeed. She noted that bowel cancer remains the second biggest cause of cancer death in England, making progress like this crucial. People without symptoms should rely on screening, she added, though anyone who spots something unusual should speak to their GP.

Genevieve Edwards, chief executive at Bowel Cancer UK, called it 'an important moment' for screening in the country. She said increasing the sensitivity of the test means more cancers will be prevented and found earlier.

Digital Alerts Coming To NHS App

From February, the NHS will also send digital notifications through the NHS App to alert people when a screening kit is on its way. The service aims to boost uptake by helping recipients know what to expect. Those who need letters, including anyone newly eligible for screening, will continue to receive them by post.

Health Innovation Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed welcomed the changes. With 20 years of frontline NHS experience behind him, he stressed how vital it is that cancer gets caught early. The Government is expected to publish a new National Cancer Plan next week, aiming to transform cancer care across the country by 2035.

Bowel cancer ranks as the third most common cancer in the UK for both men and women, and the fourth most common overall. Last year, the NHS completed its expansion of bowel cancer screening to everyone aged 50 to 74, with over 4 million more people invited since the rollout began in 2021.