Tuesday 5 July 2022 12:15 AM More than 11,000 bowel cancer deaths could be prevented by simply reinviting ... trends now
More than 11,000 lives could be saved by simply reinviting people who miss key bowel cancer test, research suggests.
A yearly reminder would boost uptake by nearly 14 per cent and catch thousands more cases of the disease, the Cancer Research UK study found.
Everyone aged 60 to 74 who is registered with a GP in England is automatically sent an at-home stool test every two years.
It looks for traces of blood, which can be a sign of bowel cancer or polyps – small growths in the bowel that may turn into cancer over time.
But people from deprived communities are significantly less likely to complete the test and therefore benefit from an early diagnosis.
Mortality rates for bowel cancer in England are 30 per cent higher for men living in the most deprived areas compared with the least, and 15 per cent higher for females.
Late presenter Dame Deborah James - known as 'bowel babe' - shone a light on the killer disease and raised millions for charity in her final days battling the cancer.
The host of the BBC's You, Me and the Big C podcast constantly urged people to 'check your poo'. She was given a damehood in May to recognise her fundraising and passed away last week.
More than 11,000 lives could be saved by simply reinviting people who miss key bowel cancer test, research suggests. Dame Deborah James - dubbed 'bowel babe' - shone a light on the killer disease and raised millions for charity in her final days battling cancer
The new study, based on modelling, found that yearly reinvites for people who failed to return a stool sample would lead to a 13.6 per cent rise in uptake in the first year.
Advertising campaigns, text message reminders and pre-invite phone calls could boost participation further, researchers from the University of Sheffield said.
