Screening for cancer saves lives. The earlier that cancer can be diagnosed the greater the chance of it being cured and screening is vital to diagnosing some cancers early. It is for strategic health authorities working in partnership with their primary care trusts (PCTs), local screening services and stakeholders to provide appropriate screening services for their local populations.
Women aged between 50 and 70 are invited for free breast screening every three years. The numbers of women screened for breast cancer in the Peterborough PCT and its predecessor trusts in each year since 2001 are shown in the following table.
For ease of interpretation, the proportion of eligible women that have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous three years has also been provided. Information has been provided for the 53-64 age group, because coverage is dependant on the three year screening round. As the breast screening programme was not extended to women aged 65-70 until April 2006, three year coverage will not be fully available for this age group until 2008-09.
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 North Peterborough: Eligible population1 6,583 6,710 6,707 6,743 6,848 3— Women screened (less than three years since last test) 5,114 4,669 5,336 4,992 5,464 3— Coverage (less than three years since last test) (percentage) 77.7 69.6 79.6 74.0 79.8 3— South Peterborough: Eligible population1 6,182 6,462 6,796 6,889 7,176 3— Women screened (less than three years since last test) 4,861 5,139 5,532 5,648 5,933 3— Coverage (less than three years since last test) (percentage) 78.6 79.5 81.4 82.0 82.7 3— Peterborough2: Eligible population1 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 10,198 Women screened (less than three years since last test) 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 8,006 Coverage (less than three years since last test) (percentage) 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 78.5 1 This is the number of women in the resident population less those with recall ceased for clinical reasons. 2 Following the restructuring of PCTs in October 2006, Peterborough PCT comprised North Peterborough PCT and a proportion of South Peterborough PCT (other proportions went to make up Northamptonshire PCT and Cambridgeshire PCT). Consequently, data for 2001-02 to 2005-06 are not directly comparable with 2006-07. 3 Data are not applicable. Source: KC63, The Information Centre for health and social care
Women aged between 25 and 64 are invited to participate in the national cervical screening programme. The numbers of women screened for cervical cancer in Peterborough PCT and its predecessor trusts in each year since 2001 are in the following table. For ease of interpretation, the proportion of eligible women that have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous five years has also been provided.
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 North Peterborough: Eligible population1 25,363 25,586 25,852 26,191 26,683 3— Number of women screened (less than five years since last adequate test) 20,588 20,574 20,620 20,446 20,510 3— Coverage (less than five years since last adequate test) (percentage) 81.2 80.4 79.8 78.1 76.9 3— South Peterborough: Eligible Population1 22,640 23,106 23,684 24,342 25,258 3— Number of women screened (less than five years since last adequate test) 19,177 19,456 19,848 20,232 20,853 3— Coverage (less than five years since last adequate test) (percentage) 84.7 84.2 83.8 83.1 82.6 3— Peterborough2: Eligible population1 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 39,748 Number of women screened (less than five years since last test) 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 30,851 Coverage (less than five years since last adequate test) (percentage) 3— 3— 3— 3— 3— 77.6 1 This is the number of women in the resident population less those with recall ceased for clinical reasons. 2 Following the restructuring of PCTs in October 2006, Peterborough PCT comprised North Peterborough PCT and a proportion of South Peterborough PCT (other proportions went to make up Northamptonshire PCT and Cambridgeshire PCT). Consequently, data for 2001-02 to 2005-06 are not directly comparable with 2006-07. 3 Data are not applicable. Source: KC53, Parts A2 and A3 The Information Centre for health and social care.
The national health service bowel cancer screening programme is the first cancer screening programme in England to invite men as well as women.
National roll out of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme began in April 2006, with the first invitations sent out in July 2006, and is expected to be complete by December 2009.
This is an ambitious project and when the programme is fully rolled out, it is expected to detect around 3,000 cancers per year in England.