Screening Matters

Why we campaigned

Screening helps doctors find early signs of cancer, which makes treatment simpler and more likely to be effective. 

We called on the Government to:

• Screen at least three million more people over the next five years
• Reduce the variation in screening across the UK 
• Reach out to people eligible for screening who weren't taking part
• Provide the best possible screening programmes through funding, staffing and measuring success 

How we made it happen

In 2008, we asked our online campaigners to email their MP, or MSPs if based in Scotland to find out about the take-up of screening programmes. We asked campaigners in Wales to email their AMs about the roll-out of bowel screening in Wales. We also ran a lobby in 2008, where our Cancer Campaigns Ambassadors spoke to their MPs at Westminster.

What we achieved

• In 2008, the then Health Minister, Ann Keen MP, committed to our call to screen three million more people over the following five years, by extending the age ranges for both breast and bowel screening.
• The then Health Minister in Wales also announced the full details of the Welsh bowel screening roll-out.

Since then, Cancer Research UK has continued to be involved in innovation in the screening programme. The NHS is currently piloting a new bowel screening test, Bowel Scope, which we helped to develop.

More information

Our Policy pages detail other steps we’d like Government to take around screening 

We also have a few Science blogs with more information:
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2013/03/21/new-bowel-screening-test-introduced-in-england/ 
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/07/31/annual-review-201011-saving-lives-through-better-screening/ 
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2010/04/28/new-study-marks-major-advance-in-bowel-cancer-screening/