A bowel cancer screening check proved vital for a Hove councillor who said: “That test saved my life.”
Jilly Stevens has since overcome any embarrassment that she might have felt to spread the word and give others a better chance to catch the disease early.
The 75-year-old former consultant, director and journalist spoke out as part of Brighton and Hove’s Act on Cancer Together (ACT) project for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
She hopes that, in doing so, the take up rate of home screening in Brighton and Hove might improve.
The rate varies, with 73.1 per cent taking advantage of bowel cancer screening in West Hove in 2021-22.
This was higher than the England average of 69.6 per cent but the figure for east and central Brighton was just 62.9 per cent.
The take up rate has improved since the NHS started sending out home testing kits but it is still below the rate for other cancer screening programmes.
Councillor Stevens said: “I did my tests religiously. I had no symptoms and no idea that I had anything wrong with me.
“When one test wasn’t normal, I had a colonoscopy, and I was told I had cancer. That test saved my life.
“From the moment I was diagnosed, I had the most wonderful support from everyone in the NHS and my Macmillan nurse and her colleagues were absolutely wonderful.
“I was supported as a person rather than just a patient. It’s very scary having cancer but, my goodness, there is a lot of support there”.
More than one in 20 people in Britain contract bowel cancer but, if caught early, more than 90 per cent of cases can be treated successfully.
Bowel cancer screening kits are sent by post to people aged 54 to 74 and, once done at home, just need to be posted back.
By the end of this year, the tests are expected to be offered to people aged 50 to 53 as well.
Councillor Stevens represents Brunswick and Adelaide ward on Brighton and Hove City Council and volunteers with the Trust for Developing Communities which is one of the organisations encouraging more people to take the test.
She is now cancer-free and said: “I felt embarrassed but decided very quickly to tell friends and family and write about it on Facebook as I felt sure some people were not taking advantage of the free bowel cancer screening tests that are sent in the post.
“I was right and quite a few friends starting doing them after I wrote about mine finding something wrong when I had no idea.
“Catching cancer early, when it can be successfully treated, is so important.”
Since the introduction of the simpler screening tests six years ago, the take up rate has gone up by almost 10 per cent.
A positive test result does not always mean that someone has cancer but that they should be seen by a specialist for further checks.
Signs and symptoms to look for include bleeding from the bottom or blood in stools, a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness for no obvious reason or a pain or lump in the stomach.
Anyone concerned about any of these symptoms should contact their GP.
Act on Cancer Together is a project run by the Trust for Developing Communities, working with the Hangleton and Knoll Project, Macmillan Cancer Support, NHS Sussex and Brighton and Hove City Council.
The project team said: “April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and Brighton and Hove’s Act on Cancer Together (ACT) project is asking everyone aged 54 to 74 to take up the offer of a bowel cancer screening test.
“Almost 43,000 new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year. That’s nearly 120 every single day. But if caught early, more than 90 per cent of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully.
“Currently, only 70 per cent of people in England who are eligible for it do the test. If more people did the test, more lives could be saved.
“Anyone who is aged between 54 and 74 is eligible for the DIY screening kit which will be posted to you.
“The test is hygienic and can be done in the privacy of your own home before being posted back to the NHS.”
Good on the councillor to spread this important message. As always, the earlier a detection, the better the chances of a positive outcome.
Well done for raising awareness of this important issue
I did this test last year.
Very easy to do and much better than the earlier type where you needed to provide several samples!
Wear a latex glove or have plenty of paper to hand!
The tests are not totally reliable, I’ve developed cancer over time with severe abdominal pain tests were still negative I was told by my doctors I had a stomach virus, I pushed to have a Colonoscopy which showed a 3cm tumour in my lower bowel.
The government sends these kits once you reach a certain age they are not the true giver of results, no your body when something does not feel right push for answers.