About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime. It is the third most common cancer in the UK, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths, with over 16,000 people dying from it each year.

Regular bowel cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by 16%.

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 60 to 69.

For further information contact our reception staff, GP or nurse, or visit the following website:

http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel/index.html

If you are between 50 and 70 years old you will receive an appointment once every three years, inviting you to have a breast screening mammogram. We invite around 52,000 women per year for screening in Greater Manchester, Tameside and Glossop. You do not have to contact us to make an appointment, we will ensure that you receive your invitation at the appropriate time.

The screening programme also offers women over 70 a free breast screen every three years. Women over 70 will not be sent an invitation but are encouraged to call the unit to make an appointment that suits them.

If you would like to know whether you will be invited soon you can look at the screening schedule If it has been over four years since your last breast screening appointment then please contact us.

We have a range of different locations where you can be screened and a range of appointment dates and times. We try to invite you to a screening clinic that is convenient for most women in your GP practice but we appreciate that this may not always suit you. Find out more about our screening locations.

When you receive your invitation letter you will see that we have already allocated you a specific screening location, appointment date and time. If you find this appointment inconvenient then please complete the appointment request form so we can arrange an alternative location, date or time.

Useful link: NHS Choices

Useful link: Greater Manchester Breast Screening Programme

All women aged between 25 and 64 are invited for cervical screening. Being screened regularly means that any abnormal changes in the cervix can be identified early on and, if necessary, treated to stop cancer developing.

Cervical Screening is done at the surgery by the practice nurse. Please make an appointment with our reception desk.

What is Cervical Screening?

Cervical screening is not a test for cancer. It is a method of preventing cancer by detecting and treating early abnormalities which, if left untreated, could lead to cancer in a woman's cervix (the neck of the womb). The first stage in cervical screening is taking a sample using Liquid Based Cytology (LBC). http://www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/cervical/lbc.html

A sample of cells is taken from the cervix for analysis. A doctor or nurse inserts an instrument (a speculum) to open the woman's vagina and uses a spatula to sweep around the cervix. Most women consider the procedure to be only mildly uncomfortable.

Early detection and treatment can prevent 75 per cent of cancers developing but like other screening tests, it is not perfect. It may not always detect early cell changes that could lead to cancer.

When it should be done?

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England offers free tests to all women between the ages of 25 and 64.

Women who are registered with a GP are invited for screening tests:

• Women should receive their first invitation for screening at 25.
• Women aged 25-49 are invited for screening every three years.
• Women aged 50-64 are invited for screening every five years.
• Women aged 65 or over are only screened if they have not been screened since they were 50 or have had recent abnormal test results.

If you have not had a cervical screening test within the appropriate time, you may be offered one when you next visit our surgery.

After your screening test, you will be informed the result by letter directly. Should there be any abnormality found, you will be asked to make an appointment to see the doctor.

if you have treatment for abnormal cervical cells, you will be asked to attend screening as advised for some years afterwards, depending on how serious the cell changes were.

If you are not sure when your next screening test should be or if you have any questions about the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, please enquire at our reception desk.

If you are under 25 and worried about your risk of developing cervical cancer or about sexual health generally, please speak to one of our GPs.

Useful link: NHS Choices

The aim of Prostate Cancer Risk Management is to ensure that men who are concerned about the risk of prostate cancer receive clear and balanced information about the advantages and disadvantages of the PSA test and treatment for prostate cancer. This will help men to decide whether they want to have the test.

PSA test - patient information