Cancer Screening
Testing people without symptoms to find cancer or pre-cancerous change early.
Last revised
Key takeaways
- Bowel screening, England: home FIT kit, from age 50, every 2 years
- Breast screening: women aged 50 to 71, every 3 years
- Most useful single change: Attend every programme you are invited to.
- Commonest mistake: Treating screening as a substitute for reporting symptoms.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Why it matters
Screening is offered only where benefit outweighs harm, and a normal result does not cover you if you develop symptoms.
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Bowel screening, England | home FIT kit, from age 50, every 2 years |
| Breast screening | women aged 50 to 71, every 3 years |
| Cervical screening | aged 25 to 64, primary HPV testing |
| Prostate | no national programme; PSA is not accurate enough alone |
| Interval cancers | a known limitation of every programme |
What helps
- Attend every programme you are invited to
- Return the bowel kit; it takes a couple of minutes
- Rebook rather than ignoring a missed invitation
- Report symptoms separately, whatever your last result was
What to avoid
- Treating screening as a substitute for reporting symptoms
- Assuming a normal result covers you until the next round
- Declining because you feel well; that is the point of it
Where to go next
- Cancer Screening, Explained Without the Jargon
- Cancer Screening: What to Do, in Order
- Reducing Cancer Risk: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Skin Cancer: What Published Guidance Supports
When to get help
Report new symptoms to a GP even after a normal screening result — screening finds disease in people without symptoms and is not a substitute for investigating symptoms you have. See a GP promptly for a breast lump, bleeding after the menopause, a persistent change in bowel habit, or blood in stool or urine.
Where this comes from
- NHS — NHS screening programmes
- UK National Screening Committee — recommendations
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.