Ratification Date: 25/07/2025

Next Review Date: 25/07/2027

Early detection and prevention of cancer

Other actions to prevent cancer

Contents

 

Screening

NHS cancer screening programmes can help to diagnose cancer or risk of cancer earlier and improve the likelihood of successful treatment. If you are eligible, please make every effort to have your screening test. Screening tests can detect a problem early, before you have any symptoms. Finding out about a problem early can mean that treatment is more effective.

If you notice any worrying signs, symptoms or changes that are not normal for you, please do not wait for a screening invitation – go and see your GP. There are three national cancer screening programmes in England: Cervical, Breast and Bowel.

 

Cervical screening

The NHS cervical screening programme in England is offered to people with a cervix aged from 25 to 64. Routine screening is offered every 5 years from when you’re 25 to 64 years old.  After 65 you will only be recalled if a recent test was abnormal.

 

If you’re 65 or older and have never been for cervical screening or have not had cervical screening since the age of 50, you can ask your GP for a test. You can book an appointment as soon as you get a letter but if you missed your last cervical screening, you do not need to wait for a letter to book an appointment.

 

The new test will identify more people at risk of cervical cancer earlier and could prevent around 600 additional cancers a year.

 

Do not wait for your next cervical screening appointment and go and see your GP if you’re worried about symptoms of cervical cancer such as:

  • bleeding between periods, during or after sex, or after you’ve been through the menopause
  • unusual vaginal discharge

 

You can find more information below:

 

HPV vaccine

The HPV vaccine reduces your chances of getting human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that’s spread through skin contact (usually when having sex). Most types of HPV are harmless. But some types are linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, including: cervical cancer, mouth cancer, anal cancer and penile cancer. HPV can also cause genital warts.

 

The HPV vaccine is recommended for children aged 12 to 13 years old and people at higher risk from HPV. All children aged 12 to 13 (school year 8) are offered the HPV vaccine. If you missed getting vaccinated when you were 12 or 13, the HPV vaccine is available for free on the NHS for:

  • all girls under 25
  • boys born after 1 September 2006

You can find out more about the HPV vaccine here:

Breast screening

Breast screening uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they’re too small to see or feel.

 

Breast screening is offered to women aged 50 to their 71st birthday in England. You will first be invited for screening within three years of your 50th birthday.  There is currently a trial so some women may be invited to an extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49, and to an extra screen between the ages of 71 and 73. You may be eligible for breast screening before the age of 50 if you have a very high risk of developing breast cancer.

 

If you are 71 or over, you will stop receiving screening invitations. You can still have screening once you are 71 or over if you want to and can arrange an appointment by contacting your local screening unit.

 

If you’re worried about breast cancer symptoms, such as a lump or an area of thickened tissue in a breast, or you notice that your breasts look or feel different from what’s normal for you, do not wait to be offered screening. See a GP.

 

Please find some useful resources below:

 

 

Bowel screening

As part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, men and women aged 50-74 are sent a home testing kit every two years to collect a small sample of poo to be checked for tiny amounts of blood which could be caused by cancer. In 2019, the home testing kit was changed from the guaiac Faecal Occult Blood Test (gFOBT) to the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) because it is:

  • more accurate – it can detect smaller signs of blood hidden in poo samples, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer.
  • easier to use – only one sample is required. The gFOBT required three samples to be taken on three different days.

 

Make sure your GP practice has your correct address, so your kit is posted to the right place. If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60. If you’re worried about a family history of bowel cancer or have any symptoms, speak to a GP for advice.

 

Find out more about screening:

 

 

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