Tens of thousand miss out on bowel cancer screening in the East Riding

Charity Bowel Cancer UK says more needs to be done to encourage people to the test, which helps to catch the deadly disease earlier and when it is more treatable.

Figures from Public Health England show just 65.8% of the 63,889-strong population of 60 to 74 year olds registered with a GP in the East Riding Of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group area had been screened for bowel cancer in the two-and-a-half years to March 2019.

That was one of the highest rates in the country, where the average coverage was 60.5%, but still meant 21,880 people were not covered.

People aged between 60 and 74 in England are sent a home test for bowel cancer every two years.

Around 2% of people will have an abnormal result, at which point they will be offered a colonoscopy – an examination of the rectum and large intestine – to check for bowel cancer.

Dr Lisa Wilde, director of research and external affairs at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “It is disappointing that uptake for bowel cancer screening still remains low in England.

“Taking part in screening is the best way to diagnose the disease early as it can detect the cancer at an early stage when it is easier to treat.

“Quite simply, taking part in bowel cancer screening could save your life and we would encourage anyone to complete the test when they receive it.”

She added that the introduction of a new, easier version of the home test was a “game-changer”, and had been proven to increase take-up rates.

An NHS spokeswoman said: “The NHS has already introduced a new and more accurate way to test for bowel cancer that will catch 1,500 more cancers a year at an earlier stage and will save thousands of lives.”

She added: “This will be complemented by other improvements, such as widening screening to include those aged 50 and over.”