Sajid Javid steps up colon cancer testing for men after father’s death from illness

Health Secretary Sajid Javid wants men over 60 to speak to GPs if they have symptoms and take part in a two-year home screening now back to pre-pandemic levels

Sajid Javid is stepping up colon cancer testing for men over 60 after his father died of the same disease.

The Health Secretary wants them to speak to GPs if they have symptoms and take part in a two-year home screening, which is now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

He said: “I know only too well how devastating this disease is, having lost my father to colon cancer 10 years ago.

“If he had been diagnosed earlier, he could still be with us today.”

Every year in the UK nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and 16,500 die from it.

Yet just one in 20 Brits would see a doctor with symptoms and men are less likely than women to attend check-ups – 47% compared to 56%.

Symptoms include constipation, blood in the stool, stomach cramps, bloating and gas.

And Mr Javid says screening could save 2,500 lives a year

Professor Peter Johnson, director of the National Cancer Clinic, said: “Colon cancer can develop without people being aware of it.

“So sending in a screening test means your colon cancer can be caught early, when it’s most likely to be curable.”