Stand Up To Cancer launches a Screening Checker

• As part of this year’s Stand Up To Cancer, Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 are launching a nationwide Screening Checker today (Friday 5 December).

• The new online Screening Checker will help people find out which NHS and Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland cancer screening programmes they are eligible for and get helpful advice on the entire screening process.

• Stand Up To Cancer returns this December with a new campaign by Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK to drive awareness of cancer screening programmes and raise funds for groundbreaking cancer research.

New estimates have found that at least 9 million people in the UK are not up to date with their cancer screening*. To help people understand what screening they could be eligible for, the charity, together with Channel 4, is launching a brand new, simple to use, online Screening Checker for its Stand Up To Cancer campaign.

The tool will allow people to quickly check which NHS and PHA cancer screenings apply to them and to help people decide whether to take part.

A host of famous faces will appear on the Screening Checker, breaking down barriers and explaining why screening is so important - including Meera Syal, Jessie J, Rosie Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Kelly Holmes, Davina McCall and Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy said: “It’s an honour to be playing a small role in the launch of this Screening Checker for Stand Up To Cancer. There are at least 9 million people in the UK who aren’t up to date with their cancer screenings – and you, or someone close to you might well be one of them. Taking a look at this new Checker or sharing it with someone you really care about, could be a life saver!”

Screening can detect cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, and in some cases prevent the disease from developing altogether.

Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “Screening can save lives, but many people are missing out. Navigating eligibility can be confusing for some, so this new Screening Checker is designed to make it simple. By taking just a few minutes to check, you could take an important step towards protecting your health. Stand Up To Cancer is about accelerating progress against cancer – and awareness is a vital part of that.”

Dr Harrison Carter, Director of Screening at NHS England said: "Screening can save lives by finding cancer early, when treatment is more likely to be successful, and in some cases preventing it from developing at all.

“So, when your NHS screening invite arrives – whether it’s for cervical or breast screening, or a bowel cancer testing kit through the post – please do make time to take it up.

"We know appointments and tests can sometimes feel awkward or easy to put off, but they really can make a difference. If you’re unsure about anything or have questions, speak to a healthcare professional – they’re there to help you make the choice that’s right for you."

The Screening Checker is just one part of this year’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign, which will culminate in an unmissable night of television on Friday 12 December on Channel 4. Fronted by Davina McCall and Adam Hills, alongside a host of celebrity guests, the live broadcast will feature special editions of much-loved shows like Celebrity Gogglebox and The Last Leg, moving patient stories, and fundraising moments.

Since its UK launch in 2012, Stand Up To Cancer has raised over £113 million, funding 73 clinical trials and projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients nationwide.

To check if screening is for you, and to find out how to spread the word, go to standuptocancer.org.uk/screening-checker - screening saves lives, take action now.

* Calculated by Cancer Research UK. Estimate based on:

• The number of people not up to date with cervical screening (25–64-year-olds).

• The estimated number of men not up to date with bowel cancer screening (50/55/60-74-year-olds, depending on UK country).

• The estimated number of women older than the cervical screening eligibility not up to date with their bowel screening (aged 65-74).

• Or, as an alternative scenario, women not up to date with breast cancer screening (aged 65-69) plus women not up to date with bowel screening (aged 70-74).

We used data from the individual programmes to generate a minimum estimate of the number of people who are not up to date with cancer screening in the UK. Between the ages of 50-70, women are eligible for multiple screening programmes. Therefore, for these age groups only one programme was counted to avoid double counting an individual who might not attend both cervical and bowel screening, for example.

Data on cervical screening coverage were available for all for UK nations. Coverage of bowel screening in men was estimated for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland using data on coverage by gender from Wales. The number of women aged 65-74 not up to date with bowel cancer screening across the 4 UK nations estimated from coverage by gender for Wales and uptake by age group for Scotland. Coverage of breast cancer screening was estimated using data on coverage by age from England were applied to coverage data for Wales and uptake data from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A report with further information on these calculations is available on request from Cancer Research UK.