World Cancer Day serves as reminder to take up NHS screening invites

There are three types of cancer screening for adults in England and they save thousands of lives each year, these are; breast cancer screening, bowel cancer screening and cervical screening.

The latest figures for Leeds show that around 30% of women failed to take up their invite for breast cancer screening and cervical cancer screening. In addition to this, 40% of people aged 60 to 74 did not take up their bowel cancer screening.

World Cancer Day is a perfect opportunity for people to spread the word about cancer and how we all can take steps to prevent it. One of the things we can do is to take up our NHS cancer screening invitations. Screening looks for early signs that could indicate cancer is developing. It helps to spot cancers at an early stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful and chances of survival are much better. In some instances, it can prevent cancers from developing at all when early changes are picked up; cervical screening is an example of this.

Dr Gordon SinclairClinical Chair at NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group

Gordon goes onto say; “If you notice any unusual change in your body that will not go away or you have noticed something that could be a sign of cancer, I would urge you to see your GP as soon as possible, even if you’ve recently had screening or if your due screening.”

According to World Cancer Day (an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control), currently 8.2 million people die from cancer Worldwide every year and is expected to be 13 million in 2030.

For further information about World Cancer Day visit www.worldcancerday.org

ENDS

Notes to editors

Cancer screening figures for Leeds

World Cancer Day – Saturday 4 February

World Cancer Day is a global event which takes place every year on 4 February, it unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer.

Get involved in the conversation on social media by using the following hashtags:

• #WorldCancerDay
• #WeCanICan

For further information about World Cancer Day visit www.worldcancerday.org

NHS cancer screening

Cervical screening

Cervical screening is offered to women aged 25 to 64 to check the health of cells in the cervix. It is offered every three years between the ages of 26 and 49, and every five years between the ages of 50 and 64.

Most women’s test results show that everything is normal, but for around 1 in 20 women the test will show some abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix.

For further information about cervical screening visit www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cervical-screening-test/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Breast cancer screening

Breast cancer screening is offered to women aged 50 to 70 to detect early signs of breast cancer. Women aged 70 and over can self-refer.

Breast cancer screening uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel. There’s a good chance of recovery if the cancer is detected in its early stages.

For further information about breast cancer screening visit www.nhs.uk/Conditions/breast-cancer-screening/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Bowel cancer screening

There are two types of screening for bowel cancer.

A home testing kit is offered to men and women aged 60 to 74.

Bowel scope screening uses a thin flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end to look at the large bowel. It is offered to men and women at the age of 55 in some parts of England.

For further information about bowel cancer screening visit www.nhs.uk/Conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/Pages/Introduction.aspx

For media enquiries please contact:

Issued by the communications team at NHS Leeds West CCG. You can contact the team on 0113 84 35528 or 0113 84 35470. Alternatively please email us: [email protected]