A five-minute, one-off screening test could prevent thousands of people dying from bowel cancer every year, a study published in The Lancet suggests.
There are now calls for the test to be rolled out across the UK after results from 200,000 people aged 55-64 found it cut deaths by 43% over 10 years.
Cancer Research UK described the results from the Imperial College, London, study as a “rare breakthrough”.
The independent bowel cancer screening committee will discuss whether it would be cost-effective to incorporate the procedure - known as sigmoidoscopy - into the UK’s screening programmes.
Scientists from Imperial College, London, who carried out the research, argue the costs would be outweighed by the savings generated through reducing the incidence of the disease, the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.
Read more at BBC Health.
Tags: Cancer
