Primary care cancer toolkit
This toolkit provides a collection of key resources about cancer prevention, diagnosis and care relevant for the primary care setting.
Cancer Screening
Screening involves testing apparently healthy people for signs of disease. It can save lives through detecting cancer at an early stage, or even preventing it. Currently in the UK there are national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer.
Effective population-based screening programmes need a high level of sensitivity - the ability to correctly identify a change. They also need specificity - the ability to correctly identify people who do not have a change.
Screening has harms as well as benefits and it’s important that primary healthcare professionals are able to help patients make informed decisions and choose whether screening is right for them.
Those who may require additional support in accessing information about screening participation:
- Vulnerable groups, including people with learning disabilities
- People with physical disabilities
- People with sensory impairments
- Younger relatives and carers
- People who do not read/write English
Learn more about cancer screening programmes, Cancer Research UK.
For further information on screening programmes, see the Cancer Research UK Screening Webpages: Understanding Cancer Screening and the UK Government: Screening Programmes Webpages.
Devolved Nations
- NHS Scotland: Screening
- Public Health Wales: Screening
- Public Health Agency - Northern Ireland: Cancer Screening Programmes
Professional
Cancer Specific Screening Guidance
Breast
The NHS Breast Screening programme invites all women between 50 and 70 years for screening every 3 years. In some parts of England, PHE has been trialling inviting women aged 47 to 73 years old.
Information
Bowel
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme offers home screening kits every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 74, and NHS Scotland offers these from age 50. In England men and women aged 55 are also invited for a one off bowel scope screening test.
Information
- Cancer Research UK: Bowel Screening Information
- Cancer Research UK: Good Practice Guide – England Version
- UK Government: Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
- Be Clear on Cancer: Bowel Cancer Screening Campaign – Includes information on a pilot campaign run in the North West of England to increase bowel cancer screening participation subject to informed choice
- Cancer Insight for GPs – FIT in Scotland
- Scotland GP Good Practice Guide – Bowel screening
Tools
- Cancer Research UK: Health Professional Bowel Screening Hub – Bowel screening evidence and resources
- Doctors.net: Cancer Research UK Evidence and Practical Tools to Increase Bowel Cancer Screening
- Doctors.net: Cancer Research UK e-learning Modules on Bowel Cancer
Cervical
The NHS cervical screening programme invites women from ages 25 to 64 for cervical screening. Women aged 25 to 49 are invited every 3 years. After that, women are invited every 5 years until the age of 64.
Information
- Cancer Research UK: Cervical Cancer Screening Information
- UK Government: Information on Cervical Cancer Screening Programme
- Cervical screen, Public Health Scotland.
Tools
- Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust: Video on Cervical Screening – Useful video for health professional to signpost patients to for visual understanding
- Cancer Research UK: Increasing Uptake for Cervical Screening
- Doctors.net: Cancer Research UK e-learning Module – Early Detection of Gynaecological Cancer in Primary Care
Balancing Benefits and Risks of Screening
- Cancer Research UK: 2012 Review of UK Breast Screening Programme – Expert review looking at the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening
Prostate Cancer
There is not currently a national screening programme for prostate cancer, however men over 50 can request a test. It is important that they make an informed decision on requesting a test, and this infographic can help.
- Cancer Research UK: Infographic on PSA Screening in Men without Any Symptoms– The evidence so far
Patient
Understanding and Accessing Screening
- Cancer Research UK: Patient-friendly Information – Includes all the statistics and information a healthcare professional would be likely to need to support patients in understanding and accessing screening