CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Colorectal screening - Evidence
Supporting evidence
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is based on evidence of benefit from:
- Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that found that bowel cancer screening using the faecal occult blood test is effective at reducing mortality.
- An RCT that found that bowel cancer screening using the faecal occult blood test is effective at reducing the incidence of bowel cancer.
- A bowel cancer screening programme pilot study that replicated the findings of the RCTs demonstrated that bowel cancer screening using the faecal occult blood test can be effectively implemented within the NHS.
Evidence of harm from colonoscopy has been reported from a Canadian observational study.
© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement