Author: Kayleigh Roberts, Product Manager, Alpha Laboratories Ltd. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global healthcare landscape had to undergo a swift transformation. Traditional face-to-face healthcare delivery was significantly disrupted, and accommodations had to be made to ensure that patients could be triaged and monitored in ways that protected public health and also…
The Bowel Screening Laboratory in Wales have been running the Alpha Laboratories Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) kits on the HM-JACKarc analyser for over five years. The lab runs around 350,000 FIT tests per annum and have recently changed their control reagents from lyophilised controls to the new innovative liquid controls. Andrew Jones, the Laboratory Section…
Author: Kayleigh Roberts, Senior Product Manager FIT, Alpha Laboratories What is Bowel Cancer Screening? From breast to bowel, in the UK we are lucky to have free and comprehensive screening programmes that can help to detect common cancers and conditions before they show obvious symptoms or become more serious. Screening programmes typically target those at…
Author: Alex Ure, Junior Product Manager FIT, Alpha Laboratories Ltd The Backbone Behind Bowel Cancer Support Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, yet early detection and timely intervention can significantly improve survival rates (Cancer Research UK, 2023)1. Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in raising awareness, promoting screening, and supporting patients…
Author: Kayleigh Roberts, Senior Product Manager FIT, Alpha Laboratories Ltd. FIT for All When NICE DG56 was published in August 2023 it highlighted the benefits of FIT across a wider cohort of patients and updated its recommendations to state that “additional research is needed to evaluate methods to improve access, uptake and return of FIT…
Author: Kayleigh Roberts, Senior Product Manager FIT, Alpha Laboratories Fight Early Onset with Early Detection For the longest time colorectal cancer has been branded as an “old age” disease – something only our grandparents need to worry about. But the reality is changing, and it’s changing fast. Over the past two decades, the global incidence…
NHS England is encouraging people aged 50 and over to take part in bowel cancer screening, now being offered to 50-year-olds for the first time. Despite the launch, the uptake remains under 60%. Dr. Sadaf Haque from Gloucestershire urges people not to be “squeamish” about the simple process, which involves collecting a small stool sample…
Public Health Wales are pleased to announce the further optimisation of their bowel screening programme by reducing the minimum screening age another year to 50. This reduction marks the completion of their phased roll-out to include all eligible participants aged 50-74 years and will result in thousands more people who are most at risk of…
Updates to FIT Guidance In August 2023 NICE published updated guidance on ‘Quantitative faecal immunochemical testing (FIT)’ to guide colorectal cancer pathway referral in primary care. This update expands and clarifies the previous recommendations, based on the extensive clinical evidence that has accumulated since DG30 was originally published, back in July 2017. What are the…
In article published in PULSE outlining the possible changes to the NICE guidelines regarding FIT in Primary Care. “NICE has recommended that GPs use FIT tests to triage all patients with signs or symptoms of colorectal cancer in a bid to reduce colonoscopy waiting times. In draft guidance that has been released for consultation today,…
Author – Emma Boxall, Marketing & Innovations Manager, Alpha Laboratories Ltd. The impact of the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) on the colorectal cancer referral pathway is well documented. Having a quick and easy-to-use test, that can be directly loaded onto the automated testing platform in the laboratory makes it an ideal solution for triaging the…
Faecal Immunochemical Testing – Past, Present and Future At the ACB UKMedLab22 Scientific Meeting, held at the Royal College of Pathologists in London in November 2022, Judith Strachan was presented with the prestigious Foundation Award. This accolade recognises her services to Clinical Biochemistry and, in particular, her work with the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme (SBoSP).…
On Thursday 2nd December 2021, at the Annual MediWales conference in Cardiff, Alpha Laboratories was declared the winner of the Partnership with NHS Award, sponsored by the Life Science Hub. This was in recognition of the industry partnership with the Clinical Biochemistry team at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTMUHB), resulting in the successful…
We are thrilled to announce that Alpha Laboratories has won the award for ‘Partnership with the NHS’ at the MediWales Innovation Awards 2021. The award was achieved for the work with the Clinical Biochemistry team at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in Merthyr Tydfil, where Alpha Laboratories was the industry partner in their successful…
“New statistics published in Scotland have shown that before the COVID-19 pandemic, uptake of bowel screening had increased. This is good news and largely due to the introduction of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which is easier to complete. These statistics, published by Public Health Scotland, show that 63% of those invited to take a…
Congratulations to the team from NHS Tayside’s Blood Sciences and Gastroenterology department, who alongside Primary Care colleagues, won the Global Distinction UNIVANTS of Healthcare award for introducing a test to investigate patients visiting their GP with new bowel symptoms. Consultant Clinical Scientist Judith Strachan said: “FIT testing in Tayside has revolutionised the investigation of local…
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges for clinicians and supporting services that have driven the need to manage patients differently. With current changes in the availability of endoscopy and laboratory testing resources, new solutions have had to be developed. Prior to COVID-19 the role of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), in addition to screening…
The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme formally restarts on the 12th October following a brief suspension due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Bowel Cancer is highly treatable if caught early, and bowel screening is an incredibly effective, and quick, way to help find bowel cancer early. Read Bowel Cancer UK’s update here
Congratulations to Nigel D’Souza and the NICE FIT Study Team for winning the ACPGBI BJS Prize, for their work on FIT in symptomatic patients. The NICE FIT study was funded by NHS England to investigate whether the FIT (faecal immunochemical test) could be used to exclude bowel cancer in our population in England. To find…
Correspondence to the BJS Society from Mr. Nigel D’Souza and Mr. Muti Abulafi regarding the use of FIT in the colorectal cancer two-week-wait (2WW) pathway, during the COVID-19 pandemic. With limitations on endoscopy resources during the pandemic, the authors outline the importance of appropriate triaging to alleviate the burden on endoscopy resource, whilst achieving maximum…
Read this paper from the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme on the transition from guaiac based Faecal Occult Blood tests (gFOBT) to faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in the Screening population. The authors conclude; “Transition to FIT from FOBT produced higher uptake and positivity with lower PPV for CRC and higher PPV for adenoma”. Read the paper…
One of Public Health England (PHE) Screening’s objectives is to reduce inequalities and overcome barriers to screening. One way we can do this is to promote the Relay UK service. Click Here to Read the Article from Public Health England
A blog from Katy Parker, a PHE Screening helpdesk advisor, about the importance of the Bowel Screening test after her father, who sadly passed away after a short battle with Bowel Cancer, admitted to having never done the test. Read the full blog post from Public Health Screening
In June 2018 the South West Cancer Alliance (SWCA) implemented a faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) service for occult blood. To support its diagnostic pathway for colorectal cancer (CRC), this is aimed at the early detection of CRC in patients classed as “low risk” but not “no risk”. Providing access to FIT testing for General Practice…
Dame Julie Walters has revealed she was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. The actress, who has starred in Mamma Mia, Billy Elliot and Educating Rita, told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire she initially thought doctors “must have made a mistake”. Having had chemotherapy, the actress has now been given the all clear. Read the full…
Uptake of bowel screening in Scotland has increased from 56.2% to 64.1%, for comparable 18-month periods before and after the introduction of FIT. Prior to this new screening test, national uptake had never previously reached the standard of 60%. The Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), was launched on 20th November 2017, replacing the Faecal Occult Blood Test…
Around 1,100 people in England could miss out on the chance of an early stage bowel cancer diagnosis through screening each year because of NHS staff shortages, according to new calculations released by Cancer Research UK today. Read the full article from Cancer Research UK
Hundreds of patients are being asked to help trial a test that could detect or rule out bowel cancer without the need for hospital investigations. The test could one day mean that people showing possible bowel cancer symptoms would no longer require a colonoscopy or a CT scan. “It would provide much faster results, be…
The new test, called FIT – faecal immunochemical test – was introduced in 2017 and uptake has risen from 55.4% to 63.9%, the first time national uptake has been higher than the standard of 60%. “This report is good news in that we’re seeing a significant rise in screening uptake in the first year since…
The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme recently received some great feedback from a patient, thanking them for their work on Bowel Cancer detection. The new, easier to use FIT test detected blood in 75 year old Ron’s stool, prompting further testing which confirmed a cancerous growth. “My thanks to you and your team for the probable…
Professor Callum G. Fraser Explores the Need for Low Faecal Haemoglobin Concentration Estimates Faecal immunochemical tests for haemoglobin (FIT) are now widely used in asymptomatic screening for bowel cancer and in assessment of patients presenting with lower bowel symptoms. FIT might also be of value in other clinical settings such as surveillance of patients with…
The NICE FIT Study is a research project in Bowel Cancer Care that has been initiated by the department of Colorectal Surgery at Croydon University Hospital together with RM Partners Accountable Cancer Network in South and West London. It is the largest study in England investigating whether FIT can be used as a triage tool…
Research Nurses at St Mary’s Hospital have been recognised for their outstanding collaborative working on research to support the National Bowel Screening Programme. Despite being the smallest team in the Wessex region, the Isle of Wight nurses managed to recruit the 2nd highest number of patients to the NICE FIT study, funded by NHS England, only…
After years of campaigning, today the Department of Health in Northern Ireland pledge to replace the bowel cancer screening test in Northern Ireland with the new, more accurate Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) from early 2020. Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK says: We are delighted that the Department of Health has finally…
Being the first country in the world to launch a bowel screening programme, Prof. Bob Steele reflects on the past ten years and how far the programme has come discussing lessons learned what the future may hold. Click Here to Read the Article from the SCPN Blog
[…] from November 2017 to April 2018, 64% of those eligible returned their FIT. In the same period the year before, uptake of the previous test was 56%. The biggest improvement in participation with FIT has been amongst those living in the most deprived areas – up from 42.0% to 51.8%. Read the full article…
FIT for Wales On 28 January 2019 Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT) will start to replace guaiac Faecal Occult Blood testing (gFOBt) in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in Wales. Roll out will be phased with 1 in 28 people receiving the new kit from the end of January. Full roll out is expected in June 2019. This newsletter produced…
Recently published in The Surgeon, Journal of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons or Edinburgh and Ireland, Prof Fraser discusses the use of FIT to triage patients and be used to aid decision making. “FIT are now proven to be very useful in the timely assessment of patients with symptoms of lower bowel disease. In particular,…
The Scottish Bowel Screening Programme offers screening to residents in Scotland age 50 and over. Visit their new Facebook page to see what people are saying about the introduction of the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in Scotland.
According to research in the European Journal of Cancer, half of people in England sent a home-testing kit for bowel cancer in 2015 did not use it. Cancer Research UK said people were missing out on a test that could reduce their risk of dying from bowel cancer by up to 25%. The charity said it…
Public Health England has announced that screening for Bowel Cancer in England is to be reduced from 60 to 50 years old. At present in England, men and women are first invited for bowel cancer screening at 60 and sent a home test kit every two years up to the age of 74. The change brings…
Following the merger of Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer in January 2018, the charity has revealed its new name and brand. Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, says: “It’s a very exciting time for the charity as we unveil our new brand following our merger. Bowel cancer is the UK’s…
Bowel cancer testing could indicate whether people are at risk of other health problems, a study of patients in Tayside has suggested. It found when blood is detected in a person’s stool they are at an increased risk of death from other diseases. Having a positive result was significantly associated with increased risk of dying…
Setting up a FIT Feasibility Study and considerations for ISO 15189 accreditation. Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS trust is undertaking a feasibility study for the roll out of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in symptomatic patients, using the HM-JACKarc system. Having recently had a successful UKAS Assessment for transition to ISO 15189 (including FIT), the team presents their implementation and assessment experience, to…
We’re working on a way to make FIT as safe as possible, and identify whether it misses cancer in a predictable way The NICE FIT Study – 6 Months on… The NICE FIT study was launched through Croydon University Hospital in early 2017, as a diagnostic accuracy study for faecal immunochemical testing (FIT). Following the introduction of NICE DG301…
Get Your Copy of the New Issue of Focus on FIT. Read about the latest clinical thinking on the adoption of FIT for symptomatic testing and how it fits into the primary and secondary care patient pathways for colorectal disease. Plus get updates on current FIT studies that are gathering evidence for the benefits of…
Safety-netting patients with a low faecal haemoglobin concentration and modifying the current patient pathway to improve patient care. Dr. James Turvill, Consultant Gastroenterologist, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Dr. James Turvill is a screening endoscopist within the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and has an interest in inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancer. Since 2008 he has developed a research…
The Minister for Cancer, Steve Brine MP, announced plans to begin the roll out of the new bowel cancer screening test in autumn 2018 in England in a debate about bowel cancer screening in the Houses of Parliament. “The new screening test is a game-changer for bowel cancer. It has the potential to detect thousands…
The NICE FIT study, in collaboration with RM Partners, is a diagnostic accuracy study designed to evaluate the use of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in diverse populations. Now with 24 sites recruiting nationally in total, this newsletter provides updates on how the study is progressing. Click the image to read more.
BBC news presenter George Alagiah says his bowel cancer could have been caught earlier if the screening programme in England was the same as in Scotland. The 62-year-old was first treated in April 2014 and returned to screen after 18 months, but he confirmed the stage four cancer had come back in 2017. Screening is…
A news article by the BBC on the pilot of ‘one-stop shops’ for cancer diagnosis in patients with unclear symptoms. Cally Palmer, national director for Cancer at NHS England, says the new centres could play a key role in improving diagnosis and treatment. “Early diagnosis is crucial to saving lives and providing peace of mind…
GP Good Practice Guide – Scotland Version Cancer Research UK has a wealth of information surrounding faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) and its recent implementation in the Scottish bowel cancer screening programme. This GP good practice guide on “engaging primary care in bowel screening”, with safety netting advice and a patient pathway, is a very useful…
On the 15th November 2017, Alpha Laboratories held a Digestive Diseases Day workshop. This educational day brought together experts in the field to discuss recent advances in clinical diagnostics for gastroenterology, with the morning sessions covering symptomatic FIT, the newly published NICE DG30 Guidance and the FIT Patient Pathway. Clinical scientists attending the workshop were…
Researchers have identified an enzyme that is absent in healthy colon tissue but abundant in colon cancer cells, according to a report in the Jan. 26 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The enzyme appears to drive the conversion of normal colon tissue into cancer by attaching sugar molecules, or glycans, to certain proteins in…
The NICE FIT Study is a pioneering new research project in Bowel Cancer Care that has been initiated by the department of Colorectal Surgery at Croydon University Hospital and RM Partners Accountable Cancer Network in South and West London. Evidence from studies conducted around the world has suggested that FIT could rule out bowel cancer…
Thousands more people across Scotland will benefit from the roll-out of a new and easier Bowel Cancer screening test that can detect the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.
Judith Strachan, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, tells us about the introduction of FIT for triaging patients at NHS Tayside. Gastroenterologists are increasingly challenged to provide an appropriate colonoscopy service to the population with more referrals and longer waiting times. In Tayside we’d seen the number of colonoscopies going up year by year. However, the number…
Alan Hankinson, Senior Biomedical Scientist with the HM-JACKarc at Monklands Hospital An interview with Dr Ian Godber, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Clinical Lead (Biochemistry), Monklands Hospital, NHS Lanarkshire Dr Ian Godber’s team at NHS Lanarkshire has evaluated the HM-JACKarc automated FIT analytical system for assessment of patients referred from primary care to endoscopy because of lower…
Guildford Medical Device Evaluation Centre (GMEC) Evaluation of Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Tests for Haemoglobin The excellent clinical outcome data demonstrated in many publications, require faecal haemoglobin cut-offs for referral for further investigation, at the low end of the analytical range of the available FIT systems. The choice of laboratory method is therefore important to the…
Improve Sample Integrity for Faecal Haemoglobin One of the challenges in clinical diagnostics is the logistics of getting a quality sample from the patient to the laboratory for analysis. When considering the detection of faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb), this is partly dependent on the technology to be employed. In the days of guaiac based faecal testing,…
The long awaited NICE Guidance DG30 on “Quantitative faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) to guide referral for colorectal cancer in primary care” was published in July 2017.