"Don't be squeamish" – that's the message from the Department of Health after it was announced that the Isle of Man will offer residents a bowel cancer screening programme from July.
Tynwald has approved almost £300,000 to implement the programme which will see all residents between 60 and 69 asked to provide stool samples every two years.
Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men. Each year around 25 people die of bowel cancer in the Isle of Man but if the screening programme is successful it is anticipated that around four or five of these lives could be saved.
The screening programme is designed to test people for the disease before it presents any symptoms. Residents in the target age group, which is the most common age for developing bowel cancer, will automatically receive an information pack and screening test through the post.
They will be required to send stool samples, freepost, to an NHS testing centre in Rugby where the samples will be examined for blood. If the test comes back positive this does not mean the person has cancer – it means that blood has been found in the sample and the person will need further tests at Noble's Hospital.
Dr Parameswaran Kishore, the director of public health, said: "For many years now there has been an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of bowel cancer.
"Like any type of cancer early detection and treatment is key and this simple test can detect bowel cancer before a person has any noticeable symptoms.
"Screening is essentially for people with no symptoms. Basically we are going to be calling people between the ages of 60 and 69 who are perfectly healthy and asking them to do the test.
"In the UK the uptake is averaging around 60 percent and in some parts of the UK at worst 40 percent. People are squeamish but come on this is a life saving thing. Don't be squeamish, don't feel embarrassed – it could save your life."
£297,000 has been allocated to start the screening process and it is estimated that it will cost around half that to run it annually. No extra staff will be recruited as the programme is only expected to generate one to two extra appointments per week.
Health Minister David Anderson MHK said: "This has been a top priority in the department for some time. Every year up to 25 people in the Isle of Man will die from bowel cancer. If you get it in the early stages it is quite responsive to treatment and that is why we think it really is so important.
"This demonstrates that the Isle of Man Government takes health as a top priority. I really am pleased that we've been able to allocate resources to this important screening initiative despite the current economic climate.
"Each day there are new developments in health care, all of which cost money. Prioritising these brings difficult choices but bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in both men and women. I'm certain that implementing this programme is the right way forward."
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