Some of you may, or may not, realise that in England and Wales the screening kit is sent out automatically to people between the ages of 60 and 74 years of age - HOWEVER in Scotland their screening programme begins at 50 years of age.
This seemed odd to me so I emailed the NHS Cancer Screening department last night and asked the following question...
I am curious to know why the screening programme is aimed at the 60+
age group in England and Wales but starts at 50 yrs in Scotland.
Since my own diagnosis of Rectal cancer (at 49 yrs old) I've come
across others in their 40's and even some in their 30's. Screening at 60 is showing positive results but starting at 50 may helpto find some tumours before they develop to a later stage.
I'd be interested to know why there is a difference in screening ages in Scotland compared to England and Wales.
Today I received a reply....
Before starting the screening programme we conducted a pilot study
which showed that the most clinically and cost effective age to start
screening was 60.
80% of bowel cancer cases occur in people over 60.
It may be that we will extend the age in the future.
Now.... you all know me well enough to realise that this is not a proper reply to the question that I asked therefore further communication was necessary :-)
Thank you for the reply....
However, I'm still unsure as to why Scotland start their screening at 50 not 60....
Do they not come under the NHS as well?
I need to understand why there is a difference
Their follow up was brief and to the point .....
Carole They do but they have a different budget and so decide on different priorities.
Anyone else think that as England and Wales come under the same NHS, we should ALL be being offered the same screening service?
Usually, after a bit of a rant, I'll say 'Off my soapbox now'....BUT not this time. Why is life considered to be of more value in Scotland if you're in the 50+ age group...why is it not important that some of the 20% of cases that occur in younger people could potentially be caught at an earlier stage?......MONEY and BUDGETS and 'different priorities'...If you are in the 50 - 60 age group, how does it feel to be told you are not a priority when your cousin/friend/etc up in Scotland is?
Admittedly, in my case, it WOULDN'T have made any difference at all (there's no way they'll consider lowering the age to 40) but surely it COULD help the percentage of people who fall into the 50-60 age group in England and Wales. Best thing to do is we should all move to Scotland in our late 40's eh
There are currently approximately 40,000 cases of bowel cancer discovered every year - which means that around 8,000 of them will be in people under 60...I'd love to know how many of these fall into the 50-60 age group. I'd guess at 'quite high' figures...
Remember also that if discovered by screening many people will not fall into the later stage categories - therefore saving the NHS a fortune on surgery, ongoing chemotherapy, radiation etc. The smaller and earlier a tumour is discovered means less treatment and less cost to the NHS...do they really think that money saved on NOT screening is cost effective in the long run? I can't see that myself. My operation alone must have cost them thousands, along with my 10 days in hospital, Chemoradiation treatment prior to surgery then adjuvant Chemo (if I'd decided to do it) plus now ongoing check-up's for the next five years.....
Interested in your comments.
And no, I'm not getting off my soapbox....I'm going to think about what to do next about this unfairness.
In the meantime, I'm concentrating on trying to raise as much awareness as possible with regard to symptoms.
Added Note: I've received numerous emails about this post - all offering help and this is something below that I need help with at the moment.....
If you can find any statistics for me on people between the age of 50 and 60 who are diagnosed with bowel/colon cancer that would be really helpful.
I can only find 'overall' statistics at the moment. I know that 80% of cases occur in the over 60's but need to know HOW many fall into the 50 - 60 age group. The other data I'm having trouble locating is how many people between 60 and 65 are diagnosed at Stage 3 or above via the screening process.
Any links appreciated - many thanks. x
