The NHS is offering routine preventative
Steve Russell, national director of screening and vaccinations for the NHS, said: “Our successful bowel cancer screening programme already helps identify thousands of cancers each year, and now thousands more people who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will also be given regular colonoscopies to check for signs of cancer and to detect the disease earlier.
“Ensuring people who we know are at a greater risk of developing cancers get regular screening is key to diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage, and I’d encourage everyone invited to come forward and get their screening at a local centre near them.”
It is estimated that 1 in 400 people in England have Lynch syndrome (equivalent to around 175,000 people), but just 5 per cent are aware they are living with the condition.
People with Lynch syndrome are more likely to develop multiple cancers and be diagnosed at a younger age.
For example, bowel cancer is most common in those aged over 50 but in someone younger, it may be a sign of Lynch syndrome.
The NHS is now able to identify the condition through a simple blood test, which then goes through a regional genomic laboratory hub, is sequenced, and then sent back to the referring clinician.
Relatives who receive a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome can be referred to genetic services to discuss regular testing options to help catch any cancers as early as possible, as well as to consider preventive options such as taking aspirin or undergoing risk-reducing surgery.
While the syndrome does not directly cause cancer, the genetic changes can lead to more abnormal cells developing, which then multiply and increase the risk of developing cancers, such as bowel, prostate and endometrial, among others.
Dr Kevin Monahan, lead for the NHS England Lynch syndrome transformation project, said: “Incorporating people with Lynch syndrome into the national colonoscopy screening programme is game-changing and will save many lives each year.
“It will deliver prevention and early diagnosis of bowel cancer through timely and high-quality colonoscopy. Now diagnosis of this hereditary condition in England will be linked to lifelong patient-focused care.”
