£1m investment over two years into Cancer Research UK's 'Test Evidence Transition' programme
Too many people are still being diagnosed with bowel cancer at a late stage, when there are less treatment options available and outcomes are worse. When diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer, almost 70% of people will survive their cancer for 5 years or more. This drops to around 10% when diagnosed at stage 4.
There are a number of interventions that we know work in helping to diagnose bowel cancer sooner - such as re-inviting people that don’t complete their screening tests - but which are not being implemented equitably across the UK contributing to unacceptable inequalities in bowel cancer diagnosis across the country.
The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK is supporting Cancer Research UK’s pioneering ‘Test Evidence Transition’ (TET) programme, which aims to improve bowel cancer diagnosis for everyone across the UK and ultimately, save more lives.
The Fund will be providing £1m of the £1.9m of the two-year programme. Other funders include Royal London and Cancer Research UK.
Under the TET programme, health systems teams and academics across the country can apply for funding to trial in their local area proven interventions and innovations (for example new ways to help GPs spot the signs of bowel cancer sooner, or to support people to make informed choices on bowel screening) to help tackle inequalities and see that more people are diagnosed with bowel cancer at an earlier stage.
The teams will gather findings on: the impact of different interventions on cancer outcomes, staffing requirements and cost effectiveness.
From there, they will develop blueprints that all health systems can follow to successfully implement these measures and scale up best practice across the UK
Health systems teams and academic partners are currently able to apply for this funding, with successful applications and trial locations being announced early next year.
What your support is making possible
Director of Evidence and Implementation at Cancer Research UK, Naser Turabi, explains how, thanks to you, we're making strides forward for people affected by bowel cancer.
"We're so glad that the Bowelbabe Fund is supporting the TET programme.
Too many people are diagnosed with bowel cancer at a late stage when it's less treatable. This programme will support people to make informed choices on bowel screening, help GPs spot the signs of bowel cancer sooner, and do so much more.
By filling in the gaps in evidence, we'll tackle the barriers that prevent best practices from being adopted around the country.
It's going to change outcomes for people diagnosed with bowel cancer."