6 Bowel cancer awareness month
April is bowel cancer awareness month. Maybe not the topic you want to think about, or talk about, just after Easter (or at any time), but it is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and the second most fatal. 42,000 people are diagnosed with it each year – mostly over-50s, but not all. It is treatable and curable if caught in time. “In Scotland, screening starts from age 50. You’ll be invited to take part in screening every two years until you reach the age of 75. Each of the screening programmes in the UK use home tests, which look for hidden blood in poo. If you’re registered with a GP and within the eligible screening age range, a test will be automatically posted to you, so you can complete it in the privacy of your own home. If you’re aged 75 or over, you can ask for a bowel cancer screening test by calling the free bowel screening centre helpline on 0800 0121 833. Call the screening helpline on 0800 0121 833 or visit NHS Inform for more information about bowel screening in Scotland.” See also https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/support-us/bowel-cancer-awareness-month/
Lord, the workings of our insides may not be a topic we like to discuss, whether our own, or someone else’s. But insides that aren’t working properly cause a lot of discomfort and impact on general health. We are glad that there are screening arrangements for bowel cancer and other cancers, and that treatment is available. Help us all to overcome our inhibitions and participate
