Bowel cancer test helps prevent emergency surgery
Publication Date:03/12/2007
Having a test which can pick up early signs of bowel cancer can help detect the disease before it becomes a problem requiring emergency surgery, researchers say.
What do we know already?
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, with about 1 in 20 people developing it during their lifetime. A screening test, designed to pick up bowel cancer at an early stage so that it can be treated successfully, is now being introduced in the UK. The test picks up hidden traces of blood in the stool. Bleeding can be an early sign of bowel cancer, or of polyps. Polyps are growths in the colon (part of the bowel) that can become cancerous.
The UK screening programme is aimed at older people, who are more at risk of the disease. In England, everyone between 60 and 69 will have been offered this test by the year 2009. Similar programmes are to follow in the rest of the UK, although in Scotland and Wales the age range for the test is between 50 and 74.
The usual treatment for bowel cancer is surgery to remove the cancer. If bowel cancer is diagnosed late, people often have to have emergency surgery, which is riskier than a planned operation.
What does the new study say?
The study found that, by picking up cancer early, the screening test reduced the number of people needing emergency surgery. Before screening was introduced, one third of patients with bowel cancer were admitted to hospital as emergencies. Four years after screening was introduced, this figure had almost halved. Also, fewer people who have emergency surgery needed a colostomy (also called a stoma). This is an artificial opening in the abdomen from the bowel because the rectum or bowel no longer works properly. And fewer patients died after emergency surgery.
Where does the study come from?
The study was done by researchers at hospitals in Coventry and Warwickshire, where the screening test was first tried out. It was published in a medical journal called Gut.
How reliable are the findings?
The study was large, including over 1,200 people with bowel cancer, and was well carried out.
What does this mean for me?
If you are in the age range where you could be offered a screening test for bowel cancer then this study has important findings for you. Research has already shown that the test can reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer. The new study shows that taking part in screening can help to detect bowel cancer before it becomes such a problem that it can only be treated with emergency surgery.
It's important to bear in mind that most people who are screened for bowel cancer get a normal (negative) result. If you get an abnormal (positive) result, you'll be offered further investigations. Also bear in mind that blood in the stools can sometimes be caused by other health problems such as haemorrhoids.
What should I do now?
You may have already decided that it's a good idea to take part in the screening programme for bowel cancer and are happy to do the test. But if you have been invited for bowel cancer screening and have any questions or worries about doing the test then you should speak to someone at your local screening centre. You should have been sent a leaflet with your kit with a freephone number that you can call. If you have lost this ask someone at your GP practice to give you the number.
It's important to have the test every two years because there could be important changes in your bowel between tests.
If you're over 70 and live in England, you won't be offered a screening test. But you can still ask for a screening kit from your local screening centre. Ask your GP practice for the number.
If someone in your family has had bowel cancer or you have a condition where you get polyps in your colon then you are at increased risk of getting the disease. Ask your doctor about whether you should have screening tests for bowel cancer.
From:
Goodyear SJ, Leung E, Menon A, et al. The effects of population-based faecal occult blood test screening upon emergency colorectal cancer admissions in Coventry and north Warwickshire. Gut. (Published online 29 November 2007)
To learn about bowel cancer and how it can be detected early, see our information on bowel cancer and bowel cancer screening.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
