Huge win for late campaigner Dame Deborah James as NHS slashes bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50
THE NHS is lowering the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50 in a massive win for campaigner Dame Deborah James.
The £16million Bowelbabe fundraiser, and The Sun, led calls for the change before her death aged 40 in 2022.
Her family are now urging four million newly eligible people to make the most of the opportunity.
Debs would be “grinning from ear to ear” at the decision to lower the bowel cancer screening age, her mum said.
Heather James, 67, hailed the NHS move to reduce the standard testing age from 60 to 50 — which instantly makes four million people eligible for the life-saving check.
It is a huge win for Bowelbabe Debs and The Sun’s No Time 2 Lose campaign which lobbied for the change with Bowel Cancer UK.
The mum of two was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and died aged 40 in 2022 — but her incredible efforts have raised more than £16million for research into the disease.
Heather, of Woking, Surrey, said: “Deborah will be up there grinning from ear to ear, jumping for joy.
“But I know she would want to urge anyone who gets a screening invite to take the test!
“She was all too aware that many people ignore the invite and put off their test, a decision that can prove fatal.”
Today’s announcement that 850,000 50 and 52-year-olds in England will receive postal test kits completes a roll-out that began in 2021.
It also means people will now receive a routine test every two years from the age of 50 to 74.
Writing in 2018 in her Sun column, Deborah said: “For too long, we as a society have shied away from things that are a bit grim — poo, our bowels, the nasty things going on in there.
“You are never too young to be told you have bowel cancer, and so it’s doubly important we educate ourselves so we know the signs and symptoms to watch out for.”
Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease in the UK, with more than 44,000 people diagnosed a year.
Catching tumours quickly and before serious symptoms start is the best way to boost survival.
In 2022, the latest data, 6,500 people were diagnosed through the screening programme.
Over 12,000 were put on close monitoring.
Deborah’s husband Seb Bowen said: “It is incredible to know that over two years since her death, Deborah’s legacy lives on.
“This is a huge milestone, one that will save countless lives.
“No one knew better than Deborah the importance of early diagnosis.
“By the time her cancer was detected it had already spread.
“She was so excited to see the first people in their 50s receive invites before she died.
“I know she would have the biggest smile today if she were here to witness it.
“If you receive an invite for cancer screening, please don’t ignore it or put it off.
“Do it for Deborah, check your poo. It really could mean the difference between life and death.”
Lisa Wilde, at Bowel Cancer UK, hailed the move as “fantastic”.
She added: “Like us, Dame Deborah was always passionate about getting people diagnosed as early as possible.
“This is something we have long campaigned for and we’re sure that the bowel cancer community will be thrilled more people are now eligible.”
The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) checks for blood in the poo.
Patients use a small stick to take a stool sample when they go to the toilet, then bottle it and send it to NHS labs for testing.
Ninety-eight per cent get the all- clear.
Nine in ten people who require further tests do not have bowel cancer.
Screening is vital because it can detect signs before symptoms get bad enough for someone to visit the doctor.
Many signs are similar to those of other illnesses such as tummy pain, bloating, weight loss or tiredness.
Key warnings are changes to your toilet habits, poo texture, or blood in the toilet bowl.
Early screening is increasingly important as cases of the disease are rising in younger adults and millions of pounds from the Bowelbabe charity fund are supporting research into why this is the case.
NHS England’s cancer director Prof Peter Johnson said: “Thousands of people in England develop bowel cancer each year and there are concerns it is becoming more common for people in their 50s.
“The chances of surviving are very good when it is caught early.
“This is why the NHS is sending out millions of free screening kits for people to use at home.
“There is no need to feel embarrassed about poo.
“The test is quick and simple so please do return your FIT kit if you are sent one.”
WOMAN ON A MISSION
By Lizzie Parry, friend of Dame Debs and Sun Head of Health
FROM the moment I met Dame Debs it was clear she was a woman on a mission.
It was February 2017, just a few weeks after she had been told the 6cm tumour growing inside her bowel was incurable cancer.
It was Stage 4 and had already spread. During that first interview Debs, then 35, told me: “You’re never too young.”
She was adamant that as a fit and healthy, vegetarian, marathon- running mother of two she had to raise awareness of the disease that would ultimately claim her life.
If she could be diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer anyone could, she stressed.
A year later when we launched The Sun’s No Time 2 Lose campaign with Bowel Cancer UK, Deborah was totally unstoppable.
She worked tirelessly, and was an inspiration to so many people after updating them on her journey.
She was passionate about getting the Government to listen — and listen they did! As with any major change like this, it takes time.
The first tests for those aged in their 50s began to be sent out in 2021, a year before Deborah died.
I am so glad she lived to see the milestone, and died knowing that the change she worked so hard for had made a strong start.
Now, thanks in a large part to Dame Debs, four million people will get a chance she never got — to catch cancer before it becomes incurable.
The NHS is urging more middle-aged people to come forward for tests, as only around half of eligible people in their 50s do them.
Patients in their 60s and 70s have a far better completion rate at 70 per cent.
In May 2022, days after revealing she was receiving end-of-life care Debs was handed a damehood in just 24 hours.
Sun readers led the calls and Prince William conferred the honour at her family home.
Heather did her first bowel cancer screening test aged 60, just six months after Deb’s 2016 diagnosis.
She added: “Would I have done the test if Deborah hadn’t been diagnosed?
“I honestly don’t know.
“Back then, I didn’t really know much about bowel cancer or its symptoms.
“When I got my invite, Deborah got excited and tried to film me doing the test so she could share it on her column.
“I politely declined the filming, but I was very happy to help encourage others to do the test too.
“It’s so quick and easy, it takes a matter of minutes and it really could save your life.”
Heather called for the Government to go even further and lower the screening age to 40.
She said: “Opening up screening to those in their 50s means four million more people will get the chance to detect cancer in the earliest stages.
“Why stop there?
“More and more young people are being diagnosed like Deborah in their 30s and 40s, so we should be aiming to include as many people as possible in the screening programme.
“I hope I get to see that happen, but for now we are all so thankful to know more lives will be saved.
“I really believe our grandchildren can look forward to a future where cancer isn’t the killer that it is now — rather it will be a chronic condition people can live long lives with.
“That was always Deborah’s dream.”
What are the red flag warning signs of bowel cancer?
IT'S the fourth most common cancer in the UK, the second deadliest - yet bowel cancer can be cured, if you catch it early enough.
While screening is one way of ensuring early diagnosis, there are things everyone can do to reduce their risk of the deadly disease.
Being aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, spotting any changes and checking with your GP can prove a life-saver.
If you notice any of the signs, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of patients with bowel problems.
The five red-flag symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits – going more frequently for example
- Pain or a lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness
- Losing weight
Tumours in the bowel typically bleed, which can cause a shortage of red blood cells, known as anaemia. It can cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.
In some cases bowel cancer can block the bowel, this is known as a bowel obstruction.
Other signs include:
- Gripping pains in the abdomen
- Feeling bloated
- Constipation and being unable to pass wind
- Being sick
- Feeling like you need to strain – like doing a number two – but after you’ve been to the loo
While these are all signs to watch out for, experts warn the most serious is noticing blood in your stools.
But, they warn it can prove tricky for doctors to diagnose the disease, because in most cases these symptoms will be a sign of a less serious disease.