English Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Information Pack

Information Pack in Microsoft Word Document (8.8Mb)

Page 1: What is the pilot?
Page 2: Colorectal Cancer
Page 3: Screening Progress
Page 4: Further Investigations
Page 5: Appendix I The Screening Pathway
Page 6: Appendix II Contact List
Page 7: Appendix III Reference List

Colorectal Cancer: What is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. About 35,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the UK every year and about 16,000 die from it. Between 60 and 65 out of every 100 people with colorectal cancer will die within 5 years of going to their doctor after symptoms of the disease have begun. This poor level of survival is mainly due to the fact that the cancer usually presents with vague symptoms that are either ignored by the individual or lead to a delayed diagnosis by the doctor.

The large bowel is the last part of the digestive system where faeces is formed. It has two parts: the colon and the rectum, which lead to the outside of the body through the anus.

Before most tumours become cancers they exist for a long time as polyps on the bowel wall. Polyps are like small spots or cherries on stalks. If these pre-cancerous polyps are removed the risk of colorectal cancer may be reduced. Not all polyps are pre-cancerous.

Colorectal cancer starts on the inside wall of the large bowel. The tumour can grow there for several years before spreading to other parts of the body.

People with colorectal cancer that is diagnosed before it has spread to other parts of the body have a good survival rate, but many symptoms of colorectal cancer do not start until the tumour has spread, making treatment and cure much more difficult. This is why screening and early detection are so important.

What are the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer?

A normal faecal occult blood test (FOBT) should not be taken as an indication that the individual has no risk of developing colorectal cancer in the future. Cancers in the bowel do not always bleed and can bleed on and off, so an individual FOBT may not detect their presence, this is why it is important that people are aware of the signs that may be indications of colorectal cancer, even if their FOBT result was normal. Some of the signs are:

Repeated bleeding from the back passage or blood in the bowel motion.
Persistent change in bowel habit (for 6 weeks) to looser bowel motions and/or needing to go to the toilet more than usual.
Persistent change in bowel habit (for 6 weeks) to severe constipation.
Severe colicky abdominal pain.
Unexplained tiredness or weight loss.

Note: these symptoms do not definitely mean that a person has bowel cancer but they should be taken seriously.