Faecal immunochemical testing reduces demand and improves yield of Leicester's 2‐week pathway for change in bowel habit

Abstract

In the UK, bowel cancer is the fourth most common with around 42 300 new cases every year. Disappointingly, more than half of bowel cancer cases in England are still being diagnosed at a late stage [1].Most cancer patients will present to their primary care physicians with symptoms although some present as an emergency to the Accident and Emergency Department [2]. Many of the symptoms of early cancer are non-specific and referrals based on vague symptoms alone, for example a change in bowel habit (CIBH), yield a very low cancer detection rate (often <3%) with a high associated cost to the National Health Service (NHS) and a potentially unnecessary risk of investigation to the patient. Regrettably, whilst the number of people referred via the 2-week wait (2WW) pathway in England