Screening aims to detect cancer at a very early stage; it does not prevent cancer.
In the UK, national screening is available for cancers of the breast , cervix and now bowel. Screening is also being considered for ovarian and prostate cancer.
If you are sent a reminder to book an appointment, please don't ignore it. It's an appointment that could save your life.
Local UK health services invite women aged 50 to 70 for breast screening every three years.
During screening, breasts are examined using an x-ray which can find breast cancers at a very early stage when they are too small to see or feel.
Breast screening is very effective, saving hundreds of lives every year, but unfortunately it is not as effective at finding changes in women younger than 50, so it is vital that women learn to check themselves on a regular basis.
For more information about breast screening, please visit the NHS website on breast cancer screening.
Otherwise known as a smear test; women should have cervical screening every three to five years from age 25 to their early sixties.
At screening, the doctor or nurse takes a sample of cells from your cervix using a spatula or small brush. This is then examined under a microscope in a laboratory and if there are any causes for concern you will be contacted for further investigations.
The test helps doctors find early changes before they actually develop into cervical cancer. And treating these early changes can stop the cancer developing, saving the lives of thousands of women every year.
For more information about cervical screening, please visit the NHS website on cervical screening.
Bowel cancer screening now available
Screening for bowel cancer is now available across Kent and Medway, after the final phase was put in place on Tuesday 22nd December 2009 and screening centres across the region’s acute trusts have gone live.
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and the second leading cause of cancer deaths with over 16,000 people dying of it every year. About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime.
Bowel screening aims to detect cancer at an early stage before peopledevelop symptoms so that they can undergo more effective treatment. Screening can also detect polyps which may develop into cancer at a laterstage so that they can be removed, which reduces the risk of cancer developing. Approximately one in ten people who need further investigation through the test are found to have cancer, so it is important to take up the screening appointment.
For further information about bowel screening, please visit the NHS website on bowel cancer.
This gives information about the PSA blood test which can help to detect prostate cancer. It aims to help you decide whether to have the test.
This information can help you if:
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You have heard about the test and wonder if you should have it.
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You have no symptoms but just want to check that you don't have prostate cancer.
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You have symptoms that could be caused by prostate cancer.
For further information about the PSA test, please visit the PSA test section on the Cancerbackup website.
For further information about prostate cancer risk management, please visit the prostate information on the NHS cancer screening website.