About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. It is the third most common cancer in the UK, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths, with over 16,000 people dying from it each year.

Regular bowel cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms), when treatment is more likely to be effective. Bowel cancer screening can also detect polyps. These are not cancers, but may develop into cancers over time. They can easily be removed, reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing.

Southdowns Private Healthcare offers a comprehensive Bowel Cancer Screening service. Our service includes the following:

A recent study suggests that men in their late 40s could benefit from being offered a routine screening test for prostate cancer. 

Prostate screening detects levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA); a protein produced by normal as well as cancerous prostate cells. The idea has caused some controversy as screening for PSA has been deemed unreliable as previous testing has sometimes produced false positive results. 

However, results taken from a recent study carried out on men aged 27-52 showed that a high PSA reading was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer; suggesting that men would benefit from routine PSA screening. 

The study revealed that screening amongst men who were below the age of 45 detected few deadly cancers, and screening amongst men aged 50 and over missed too many; suggesting that men in their late 40s are at the prime age for PSA testing to avoid false results or late detection.   

Recent research carried out by the ERSPC (European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer) showed that prostate screening reduced the risk of mortality by 20%, and according to Swedish researchers, routine screening of men aged 45-49 could help to predict nearly half of prostate cancer fatalities. 

However, when the UK National Screening Committee last assessed the issue in 2010, it was decided that routine screening should not be introduced, and there is currently still no routine screening programme existing in the UK. 

At Southdowns Private Healthcare our doctors can help to screen for early signs of prostate cancer or to assess you for any concerns you may have about cancer and your health. To learn more about our cancer screening services, or to book an appointment, call us on 01243 388 712.

September is the month for prostate cancer awareness so I hope that Billy Connolly's announcement will help to achieve exactly that and raise awareness of this cancer and the opportunities that there are for curing the condition. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongst men affecting about 1 in 8 men in the UK at some point that you may have. 

The prostate is about the size of a walnut and part of the male reproductive system located in front of the rectum and below the bladder.