Press Release

Mrs Belinda Critchlow, 75, of Lane Head in Edale, said “I saw an advertisement for the NIBCSP testing scheme. Since I know of at least four people who have bowel cancer I opted to take the test and it came back positive.”

Mrs Critchlow’s positive result was promptly dealt with by local health services and she was given a further examination called a colonoscopy, which revealed a growth called a polyp. Although this was later found to be non-malignant it was removed.

Although a bowel cancer screening programme is being rolled out by the National Health Service this year, Mrs Critchlow would not have been tested under that scheme as it is restricted to those between 60 and 69 years of age. She said “My local health services have now told me that I will remain in their system and will be called back in five years for further tests.”

Mrs Critchlow is a widow and her family have all grown up. She said “I was very happy with the service I had from the NIBCSP and would recommend the scheme to anyone.”

Mr Ian Cowie, Director of the NIBCSP said “I am very pleased indeed that Mrs Critchlow has had such a satisfactory outcome to her case. A positive screening test result is always very worrying but the local health services responded appropriately and promptly. Although her polyp was benign, these growths are where bowel cancer starts. This means they are always a potential risk, so they should be removed when they are found.”

Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK after lung cancer with over 16,000 deaths per year. Mr Cowie added “The NIBCSP is not in opposition to the proposed NHS screening services. We offer an alternative and complementary service that is available to a much wider range of people with no restrictions on age or where they live. In addition we offer an annual screening service which is twice as effective at detecting cancer as screening every two years.” The NIBCSP uses laboratory-analysed Faecal Occult Blood testing, which is a similar method to the one the NHS uses.

The NIBCSP is a private health-care initiative that provides routine bowel cancer screening using a simple test backed up by full laboratory analysis. It is available to anyone in the United Kingdom and Ireland irrespective of their age or where they live. The test costs £17.98 of which £1 is donated to charity. The NIBCSP can be contacted on 0845 603 5709 or online at www.pocl.co.uk

In August last year Beating Bowel Cancer, one of the UK’s leading bowel cancer charities, endorsed the NIBCSP. It is the only independent bowel cancer screening service to have been endorsed by a major charity.