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BowelScreen, the national screening programme for detecting bowel cancer, will be extended to people aged 50 to 54 on a phased basis amid a rise of the disease among younger age groups, it emerged today.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she accepted the findings of an assessment carried out by Hiqa around lowering the age, which said it would reduce deaths from bowel cancer.
However, the watchdog also said the extension would have to be done in a way not to impact follow up services which are part of the programme currently offered to people aged 57-71 years.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “The incidence rates for bowel cancer are increasing in those aged between 50 and 60. Screening provides an opportunity to detect cancer at an earlier stage, when it is easier to treat. I encourage all those eligible to please engage with BowelScreen and get their free at-home test by visiting hse.ie.
”I have written to the HSE requesting an ambitious implementation plan to facilitate the extension on a phased basis.”
Dr Máirín Ryan, Hiqa’s deputy chief executive, said: “Our assessment examined the available evidence and there are clear clinical benefits to expanding the programme to those aged 50-54 years old. However, we also highlighted capacity issues that currently exist within the services required for bowel screening.”
Steve Dempsey of the Irish Cancer Society said that “BowelScreen saves lives”.
“Three in five bowel cancers detected through screening are caught at Stage 1 or 2, when there is a better chance of cure, compared to just two in five non-screening detected bowel cancers”.
Hiqa’s recommendation comes with warnings of “significant ongoing capacity challenges” including “long wait lists” that echo the Irish Cancer Society’s concerns regarding chronic delays in cancer care and the urgent need for additional ringfenced multiannual funding for improvements in cancer services.
Fiona Murphy, chief executive of the National Screening Service, said: “We are committed to rolling out this expansion and our focus now is on careful planning so we can expand the programme safely and sustainably, ensuring that everyone who takes part can access the follow-up care they need. We would encourage all those invited to take up this opportunity to protect their health.”
