The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has commenced a health technology assessment (HTA) of extending Ireland’s national colorectal cancer screening programme, BowelScreen, to those aged 50 to 54 years. 

BowelScreen uses a home test kit that looks for a level of blood in the stool. If the amount of blood found in the stool is above the screening limit, participants are referred for a colonoscopy. The programme currently invites those aged 59 to 69 years for screening every two years, and there is a commitment to screen those aged 55 to 74 in the future.

Dr Máirín Ryan, HIQA’s Deputy CEO and Director of Health Technology Assessment, said: “Screening can help to detect signs of cancer at an earlier stage, when there may not be any symptoms. We are undertaking an assessment to consider the implications of extending the BowelScreen programme to include people aged 50 to 54 years. In this assessment, we will explore the benefits, potential harms, and organisational and ethical implications of extending the colorectal cancer screening age for patients, the general public, and the healthcare system in Ireland.”

HIQA was requested to undertake this HTA by the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). NSAC was established by the Minister for Health as an independent advisory committee to play a significant strategic role in the development and consideration of population-based screening programmes in Ireland. 

Once completed, a draft assessment will be made available for consultation to the public, with an opportunity to provide feedback on the draft findings. This feedback will be reflected in the final HTA report submitted to NSAC. Feedback received during the consultation and HIQA’s responses to the issues raised, including any changes made to the report as a result, will be published on the HIQA website in a report alongside the final HTA.

The full HTA and advice to NSAC will be published in due course.

ENDS

Further information:

Marty Whelan, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 085 805 5202 / mwhelan@hiqa.ie

Notes to Editor:

• The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published the following document:
  • Protocol for a health technology assessment of extending BowelScreen to those aged 50 to 54 years
• This protocol outlines the evidence synthesis approach that will be used by HIQA’s evaluation team to complete this HTA.
• Colorectal cancer, also called bowel cancer, occurs in the lower part of the bowel, that is, the colon and rectum. Colorectal cancer usually develops from benign polyps (growths of tissue that commonly occur on the mucous membrane) in the lining of the colon or rectum. These polyps, or adenomas, may become cancerous over time. Their removal has the potential to impact the subsequent development of colorectal cancer. 
• In Ireland, colorectal cancer is the second most frequently occurring cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in males and the third most common cancer in females, with an annual average of approximately 2,560 new cases between 2018 and 2020. Colorectal cancer represents the third most common category of cancer deaths, accounting for an average of approximately 1,000 deaths a year during the same period. 
• Risk factors for colorectal cancer include increasing age, being male, a family or personal history of colorectal cancer, personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
• HTA is a multidisciplinary process that summarises information about the medical, social, economic and ethical issues related to the use of a health technology and does so in a systematic, transparent, unbiased and robust manner. HTAs are designed to inform safe and effective health policies that are both patient-focused and achieve the best value.
• At the request of the Department of Health, HIQA undertakes evidence synthesis and provides evidence-based advice to NSAC on behalf of the Minister for Health.