An innovative way of detecting and preventing bowel cancer at its earliest stages is being offered to Tayside patients.
NHS Tayside is helping to pilot bowel scope screening before it is rolled out nationally. This involves the use of a thin flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end that allows any abnormalities to be detected and a sample taken.
The 15-minute test detects polyps in the bowel that could eventually become cancerous.
Nurse specialist Jackie Rodger said: “Bowel cancer, when caught early enough, is one of the most treatable cancers.”
Bowel cancer is the third most common form of the disease in Scotland, with around 330 diagnoses annually in Tayside.
The new test is being backed by Dundee cancer patient Bill Berry, 65, who discovered he was ill after a routine screening. Four polyps were found in his bowel, one of which proved to be cancerous.
“As the cancer was caught early, I was saved from needing major surgery or chemotherapy,” Bill said.
“Now I talk about my story to my friends to try to promote early screening.
“It takes a few minutes of your life and you have the opportunity to reduce the chance of a more serious outcome.”
More information on the new test is available at www.bowelscreeningtest.org.