NHS screening successes that are leading the way

THE NHS offers the following national screening programmes:

Cervical cancer

All women aged 25 to 6 are invited for cervical screenings, otherwise known as smear tests, to check the health of cells in the cervix. It is offered every three years for those aged 25 to 9, and every five years from the ages of 50 to 6 . Screening helps prevent cancer by using a highly effective test to check for HPV, which is found in more than 99 per cent of all cervical cancers and which may cause abnormal cells to develop in the cervix. In 202223, some .62 million women were invited to book an appointment, and 3. 3 million attended screenings. It has been so successful that the NHS has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 20 0.

The breast screening programme in England was set up in 1988 and provides three-yearly routine screening to women aged 50 to 70, with those over 70 able to self-refer. Using mammography radiography, it looks for small changes in the breast before other symptoms or signs of cancer develop and is credited with saving around 1,300 lives annually.

Bowel cancer

The NHS launched this screening programme in 2006, with a full rollout by 2009. Everyone aged 60 to 7 is offered a home test kit every two years. The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 by next year. Those aged 75 can ask for a kit every two years. The home test kits are credited with saving more than 20,000 lives so far.

Lung cancer

Targeted screening was announced last year, offering checks to participants aged 55 to 7 who are current or former smokers. The programme aims to improve earlier diagnosis of lung cancer, at a stage when it is much more treatable. Patients will have their risk of cancer assessed based on their smoking history and other factors and those considered high risk are invited for specialist scans every two years. The programme is expected to detect cancer in 9,000 people a year.