Urgent investment in capacity required to make lowering BowelScreen age a reality

Tuesday, 14 April: The Irish Cancer Society has welcomed a recommendation by Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to lower the age eligibility of BowelScreen to 50 years old, which would bring hundreds of thousands of people into the BowelScreen programme and save more lives. 

In written submissions to the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC), in successive Pre-Budget Submissions and in ongoing Bowel Cancer Awareness campaigns, the Irish Cancer Society argued that the current screening age target of 55-74 is insufficient and that international evidence supported the lowering of BowelScreen to 50 years old.  

However, HIQA's recommendation comes with warnings of “significant ongoing capacity challenges” including “long wait lists” that echo the Irish Cancer Society's concerns regarding chronic delays in cancer care and the urgent need for additional ringfenced multiannual funding for improvements in cancer services.  

Welcoming HIQA’s announcement, Steve Dempsey, Director of Advocacy & Communications at the Irish Cancer Society, said:  

“BowelScreen saves lives. Three in five bowel cancers detected through screening are caught at Stage 1 or 2, when there is a better chance of cure, compared to just two in five non-screening detected bowel cancers. Four years ago, the Irish Cancer Society’s submission to the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) called for HIQA to investigate the lowering of BowelScreen to begin at 50 years old. On the back of these calls, HIQA was tasked with exploring this and its report published today makes the very welcome recommendation that BowelScreen should be expanded to 50-74 year olds. 

“This announcement, while hugely welcome, does not mean BowelScreen will be expanded overnight. We are hopeful that Government will accept HIQA’s recommendation and at the same outline a clear plan as to how it will urgently investment in endoscopy, histopathology and diagnostic radiology services so that this proposed BowelScreen expansion can become a reality.”