Cancer Screening

We offer a range of clinics and services here at Cavendish Health Centre to help with cancer screening.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Have questions about cancer? Visit www.macmillan.org.uk or call 0808 808 000 free (Monday to Friday 9am – 8pm).

Bowel Cancer

Bowel cancer is a term used to describe cancer in the colon, rectum or the small bowel.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:

Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your stools
A change in normal bowel habits to diarrhoea or looser stools, lasting longer than 4 to 6 weeks
A lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or abdomen (more commonly on the right side)
A feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you needed to pass a bowel motion)
Losing weight
Pain in your abdomen or back passage
A lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)

Because bowel tumours can bleed, cancer of the bowel often causes a shortage of red blood cells. This is called anaemia and may cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.

Bowel cancer screening

How do I get a screening kit?

If you are aged 54-74 years, you will be sent your screening invitation automatically through the post. All you need to do is make sure that your GP has your correct address.
It will soon be offered to everyone aged 50 to 74, so you may be sent a home test kit now if you're aged 50 or over.

‘People aged 75 years and over who wish to be screened, should request a kit. Simply telephone the free helpline on 0800 707 60 60.’

Breast Screening

The National Breast Screening Programme was introduced in 1988 as an early detection service for breast cancer. It states that all women who are aged between 50 – 71 years of age will be routinely invited for free breast screening every three years. The programme is very successful and currently saves around 1,400 lives per year. If you are over 70, you can still have this test, please call the number below to make an appointment.

Breast screening aims to find breast cancer at an early stage, often before there are any symptoms. To do this, an x-ray is taken of each breast (mammogram). Early detection may often mean simpler and more successful treatment. When women are invited for their mammogram depends on which GP they are registered with, not when their birthday is.

The screening office runs a rolling programme which invites women by area. The requirement is that all women will receive their first invitation before their 53rd birthday, but ideally when they are 50. If you are under 50 and concerned about any aspect of breast care, please contact the surgery to make an appointment with your GP.

Useful links:

West London Breast Screening (call 020 3758 2024 to make an appointment)

Cervical Screening

Cervical screening, which used to be called a smear test, is a test to check the health of the cervix and help prevent cervical cancer. It's offered to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64.

Everyone with a cervix should go for cervical screening. If you're a trans man or non-binary and have a cervix, you can speak to your GP, sexual clinic or transgender health clinic about getting invitations routinely. The cervix is the opening to your womb from your vagina. It's not a test for cancer, it's a test to help prevent cancer. During the screening appointment, a small sample of cells will be taken from your cervix. The sample is checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells of your cervix. These are called high risk types of HPV. If these types of HPV are not found, you do not need any further tests. If these types of HPV are found, the sample is checked for any changes in the cells of your cervix. These can be treated to help prevent cervical cancer. The nurse or doctor will tell you when you can expect your results.

Our nurses are qualified to carry out cervical screening and tests in the form of cervical smears. In order to have a cervical smear the patient must have received a letter requesting that they have a cervical smear and the appointment must please be made for when the patient is not menstruating. These appointments typically take around 15 minutes. For any further information or to book an appointment, please call the surgery.

HPV Self-Sampling

We are pleased to be taking part in a pilot so that women can take their own smear test - self-sampling for HPV.

The HPV self-screening test takes a swab from the vagina to test for human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV self-screening is a test for cervical screening. It is offered to women and people with a cervix who rarely attend or who have never attended cervical screening. You can take your own sample for cervical screening at your GP practice. Click here for more information.

Most women and people with a cervix will not have HPV. However, if we find HPV in your sample, you will need to have another sample collected by a doctor or nurse. This is to check for abnormal cervical cells. Abnormal cells can develop into cervical cancer if left untreated.

Useful links