Almost 90,000 cancer cases caught by screening over last five years

By Amy Warnock

Cancer screening looks for early signs of cancer in people without symptoms and can help save lives by finding cancers at an earlier stage, or even help to prevent cancer.

In England there are currently three screening programmes for breast, cervical and bowel cancer. Between them, the programmes help save thousands of lives each year.  

Today, new data analysis from our Cancer Intelligence team has shown that around 89,800 cancer cases have been detected by the three national screening programmes in England from 2019-2023*.  

Catching cancer earlier 

Each of the three screening programmes in England use different tests and have different eligibility criteria, but they all help detected cancer at an earlier stage. But no screening test is perfect. They all have possible benefits and risks, so it’s important people read the information in their invite to help them decide if they’d like to take part.

Women between the ages of 50 and 70, and some transgender and non-binary people, are eligible for breast cancer screening. Some women who are at increased risk of breast cancer, such as those with a strong family history, may be able to have screening earlier, depending on their risk. Since 2019, it is estimated that breast screening has diagnosed around 62,600 cancer cases.  

In England, people receive a bowel cancer screening kit every two years if they’re aged between 54 and 74 years – this is gradually expanding to 50. It is estimated that bowel screening has diagnosed nearly 22,800 cases in England since 2019. 

Cervical screening is offered to women, some transgender men and some non-binary people aged 25-64 in the UK. Cervical screening has diagnosed around 4,400 cases since 2019.  

In addition to these three screening programmes, there is also a new targeted lung cancer screening programme that is slowly being introduced for people in England at high risk of lung cancer.    

Declining participation 

These figures show the positive impact that screening programmes can have, diagnosing thousands of cases of cancer each year. But participation in some screening programmes in England has declined, and attendance varies by cancer type.  

In England, cervical screening coverage has steadily declined over the last decade, from 74.2% in 2013/14 to 68.8% in 2023/24.  

Breast cancer screening levels are also struggling to return to pre-Covid levels, with screening uptake in 2022/23 down to 64.6% compared to 71.1% in 2018/19. 

The NHS in England aims to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028, but it is currently not on track to hit that target. Improving screening uptake will be vital to achieving this.

That’s why, at Cancer Research UK, we’re calling on the UK Government to work with the NHS to make it easier for people who are eligible to access screening, so that more lives can be saved. 

The benefits and harms of screening 

Despite the benefits that screening has, there can also be harms, which is why there aren’t screening programmes for every cancer type and why people of only certain ages are invited.   

The UK National Screening Committee constantly reviews the best evidence to make sure the right people are being screened based on the tests we have, where the benefits are biggest and the harms are smallest.

"Every year, screening programmes help spot thousands of cancer cases across England. This is testament to the research that made these programmes possible, and the hardworking NHS staff who deliver them. But there’s so much more that can be done. Making screening more digital, and improving data collection to know who is and isn’t coming forward, will help to target people who currently miss their appointments, but would like to attend. This is essential - better access to screening means better chances of catching cancer early."

- Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK

Overcoming barriers to screening 

According to UK-wide survey data that we collected, one of the main reasons people don’t attend bowel and breast screening when invited is because they don’t have symptoms, so they think screening isn’t for them**.  

Other key barriers include being too embarrassed to attend, and the experience or anticipation of pain for breast and cervical screening**.  

Evidence also shows that certain groups, such as people from ethnic minority groups, and people from lower income backgrounds, are less likely to attend screening. 

NHS England has already made promising shifts by allowing people to book cervical screening appointments via the NHS app next year and is aiming to do the same for breast screening appointments by 2026.  

But we know there’s still more to be done to make screening appointments as convenient as possible, for example by letting people book appointments out of hours. 

Making screening work for you 

Screening is a personal choice, but it’s important that everyone who’s eligible for screening has the same opportunities to access it.  

While you may decide that screening isn’t right got you, we know that many people might want to be screened but aren’t able to because something gets in the way.  

That’s why we’ve written a guide on how you can make screening work for you.  

From getting the invite in the first place, attending the appointment or doing the test itself, to receiving results, read our top tips for making the screening process just a little bit easier. 

Make screening work for you

Knowing what’s normal for you 

It’s important to remember that screening is for people without symptoms.  

If you notice any changes that aren’t normal for you don’t wait for your next screening invite, talk to your doctor. It probably won’t be cancer, but if it is, spotting it early means that treatment is more likely to be successful. 

* Data analysis collected using Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset (RCRD) data for England, 2019-2023. The Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset (RCRD) emerged relatively recently in response to the pandemic. It provides more timely data from fewer sources, and therefore comes at a cost of lower completeness and quality than the Gold Standard data. While less robust, it provides the opportunity to monitor more up-to-date indications of where trends in cancer diagnosis are heading.   

** Survey data from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4053 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th – 28th September 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).