CANCER SCREENING 

Visit the Wessex Cancer Alliance for detailed information and links on the current cancer screening programmes.

Cervical Cancer Screening (Smear test)

Cervical cancer is the commonest cancer in women under 35, with 3000 women diagnosed every year in the UK.

Cervical screening checks the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina.

In the UK, cervical screening saves over 5000 lives each year by detecting and treating very early changes in the cells lining the cervix before progression to invasive cancer can occur. 

All people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 will be invited by letter, every 3 years, up to the age of 49, and every 5 years up to the age of 64. 

Please contact the surgery to book a smear test when you receive the invitation.

Follow this link to watch the NHS England video that aims to support people with a learning disability access information about Cervical screening.

Please see the link for cervical screening for trans and non-binary people.

See the NHS website for their information on Cervical Screening  

See Cancer Matters Wessex for their local information on Cervical screening 

See Cancer Research for their information on Cervical Screening

See Jo's trust for more information on what you can do to help reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer.

Bowel cancer screening

14% of our patients diagnosed last year with bowel cancer were found by screening. Please complete your bowel screening cancer test when you receive it in the post.

Bowel cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK. About 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year. If it’s detected early, treatment is more successful and there’s a good chance of recovery.

Read how the bowel screening programme finds bowel cancer early, when it's easier to treat. 

Visit Wessex Cancer Alliance for local information on colorectal cancer prevalence and how shifting to earlier diagnosis will help improve survival rates. 

NHS bowel cancer screening is only offered to people aged 56 or over, as this is when you're more likely to get bowel cancer.

• If you're 55, you'll automatically be invited for a one-off bowel scope screening test, if it's available in your area
• If you're 60 to 74, you'll automatically be invited to do a home testing kit every 2 years
• If you're 75 or over, you can ask for a home testing kit every 2 years by calling the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60

If you're too young for screening but are worried about a family history of bowel cancer, speak to a GP for advice.

Always see a GP if you have symptoms of bowel cancer, even if you have had a negative screening test.  

Visit the NHS website or Bowel cancer uk or Cancer Research UK, for more information on bowel cancer and screening.

Breast cancer screening

Last year, over 77% of new breast cancer diagnosis in our patients were found by screening. Please attend for breast screening when you are invited.

About 1 in 8 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. If it's detected early, treatment is more successful and there's a good chance of recovery.

Breast screening aims to find breast cancers early. It uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they're too small to see or feel.

As the likelihood of getting breast cancer increases with age, all women aged from 50 to their 71st birthday who are registered with a GP are automatically invited for breast cancer screening every 3 years.

In the meantime, if you're worried about breast cancer symptoms, such as a lump or an area of thickened tissue in a breast, or you notice that your breasts look or feel different from what's normal for you, do not wait to be offered screening, please contact the surgery to see a GP.

If you are above the age where you would be automatically invited for breast screening, you can request to continue to have a screening mammogram directly, by contacting the Winchester Breast Screening unit on 01962 824 841, see Hampshire Hospitals website for further information.

Visit the NHS website for more information on breast cancer screening.

Prostate Cancer  

Prostate cancer is now the commonest cancer in the UK.

Men have a lifetime risk of over 1 in 6 and men of Black Heritage have up to a 1 in 4 lifetime risk.

If diagnosed and treated early the 10-year survival is over 84%.

It usually develops very slowly and may cause no significant symptoms for many years.

Wessex Cancer Alliance now recommends that men over 50 and men of Black Heritage over 45 take this questionnaire. If the score is over 8, then please self refer by contacting prostatehealthtest@uhs.nhs.uk or book a GP appointment to organise a PSA blood test and prostate examination. 

Please note, you can still self refer to these services even if you have a score of less than 8 and are still concerned. 

Visit the NHS website for further information on prostate cancer.

Visit Cancer Research UK for information on screening for prostate cancer.