A BBC presenter has revealed the symptoms of bowel cancer and revealed he wished he’d been screened earlier. George Alagiah spoke earlier this year when he backed a special NHS screening program which is expanding.
Newsreader George is one of 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK every year. Catching it early is crucial and the NHS is offering free testing kits.
The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 years. This is happening gradually over 4 years and started in April 2021.
The NHS is asking anyone who receives a free test kit: “put it by the loo, don’t put it off” as recent data showed that almost one third (30%) of people do not return the potentially lifesaving tests.
BBC news presenter Mr Alagiah said: “As a bowel cancer survivor, I urge everyone who has received their kit not to ignore it. You don’t need to visit a doctor, you can do it at home, it could save your life.”
Dr Ajay Verma, a leading consultant gastroenterologist at Woodland Hospital of Kettering explains: “The test is really effective and you can do it in the privacy of your own home. I realise that my patients may feel embarrassed about doing the test, but there’s no need. It’s hygienic and if you complete it when you receive it, it could help save your life.”
Screening is automatically offered from the age of 50 in Scotland, but only from 60 in England. Chances of survival for at least five years with stage four bowel cancer are less than 10%, while for stage one it is nearly 100%.
Mr Alagiah, who lives in London, said: “Had I been screened, I could have been picked up. I would have been screened at least three times and possibly four by the time I was 58 and this would have been caught at the stage of a little polyp: snip, snip.”
The presenter is now supporting a campaign by Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer to make cancer screening available to everyone in England from the age of 50. “We know that if you catch bowel cancer early, survival rates are tremendous,” he said.
“I have thought, why have the Scots got it and we don’t?”
What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?
- Bleeding from the bottom
- A change in your bowel habits lasting more than three weeks
- Abdominal pain, especially if severe
- A lump in your tummy
- Weight loss and tiredness
Mr Alagiah found out he had bowel cancer in 2014 after complaining of blood in his stools. He then underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy and five operations to treat the disease in 2014, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
The NHS bowel cancer screening programme involves using a test kit, which is delivered through the post. The test detects small amounts of blood in stool, which would be too tiny to be visible to people and could appear before someone may notice anything is wrong.
A tiny sample of stool is collected using the plastic stick provided and is placed in a sample bottle before being sent back to the NHS, free of charge, for laboratory analysis. More than half a million bowel screening test kits are posted out each month to eligible people, who are automatically sent a kit every two years if they are registered with a GP practice and live in England.
Dr Ajay says “If you’re aged 60 to 74, live in England and are registered with a GP practice, you’ll be sent a kit in the post automatically. As part of plans to lower the age of people that receive the test to age 50 by 2025, 56-year-olds are also now sent the test kit and it is currently being rolled out to 58-year-olds.
“Whether you have symptoms or not. If you are sent a kit, please do use it. Most people who return the kit do not require any further investigations. If cancer is found, it is always best to catch it early when it’s far easier to treat.”
People concerned that they may have missed their invitation or have lost or thrown away their kit can call the free bowel cancer screening helpline for advice on 0800 707 60 60. Information on bowel cancer and the screening programme can be found at: nhs.uk/bowel-screening.
