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HEALTH PROFESSIONALS > DISCUSSION TOPICS > CANCER SCREENINGCancer screening for adult solid tumours
Last reviewed: September 2006
For general information about Cancerbackup's Discussion topics please see the introductory page.
This discussion topic explores the use of screening in the UK to detect cancers at an early stage. It aims to discuss and summarise the issues and is written for health professionals. It may also be of interest to patients. Information for patients can be found in the breast cancer section.
Screening for cancer
This information outlines the current situation in the UK for cervical, breast, ovarian, colorectal and prostate cancer screening.
Screening is taken to be the identification among apparently healthy people of those at sufficient risk of a specific disorder to warrant diagnostic tests and treatments (5).
In general national cancer screening programmes are funded if:
- the cancer is common and serious;
- there is a recognisable early stage, or detection and treatment at an early stage are beneficial;
- a screening test is available which is sensitive enough not to produce too many false negative results, which might give false reassurance;
- the screening test is specific enough not to produce too many false positive results, which would result in unnecessary medical interventions and anxiety and morbidity;
- the screening test and its frequency are acceptable to the people being screened and can be carried out without serious hazard;
- there are enough facilities to diagnose the cancer, and effective treatments are available;
- the benefits of the screening programme are not outweighed by the costs, and it is considered that finite resources would not be better used elsewhere.
Funding is available for screening programmes for rare conditions as well as common and serious conditions. For example, phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by an inability of the body to utilise the essential amino acid, phenylalanine. All new born babies are screened for this at five to eight days old.
Content last reviewed: 01 September 2006
Page last modified: 19 August 2008
Page last modified: 19 August 2008