NICE publishes guidance on using Faecal Immunochemical Tests in primary care
Thursday 24 August 2023
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have published new guidance on the use of a home test called faecal immunochemical test, known as FIT, in people with symptoms of possible bowel cancer.
Doctors have been advised by NICE to offer people with symptoms of possible bowel cancer a home test kit to help reduce waiting times for diagnostic tests, like a colonoscopy or flexi-sigmoidoscopy.
Under previous NICE guidance for cancer, FIT was already offered to some people presenting to their GP with symptoms of possible bowel cancer, while others were immediately referred for diagnostic tests. The new guidance will now see everyone with suspected bowel cancer receive a FIT kit.
Those with a positive result will be referred for a colonoscopy or other tests for further investigation. However, GPs can refer people for a colonoscopy without a positive FIT result if they think its necessary and where symptoms persist.
Colonoscopy capacity is limited, and there are sometimes long wait times for these crucial cancer tests. Using FIT could reduce the number of people referred for diagnostic tests, ensuring people who could have bowel cancer are urgently referred and reduce the waiting times to allow people on non-urgent referral pathways to be seen more quickly.
This should lead to 50% fewer referrals for urgent colonoscopies being made by GPs each year.
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, says: “Those with low risk symptoms, especially younger people, often face a delayed diagnosis or have to see their GP a number of times before being referred for further tests. This guidance will help GPs to better identify and refer the right patients for further testing quickly and could help detect bowel cancer at an earlier stage when its more treatable and curable.”
This guidance applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish government published similar guidance in June 2022.
- Knowing the symptoms of bowel cancer could save your life
- Find out about how we're campaigning to improve early diagnosis
- Learn more about how you can support our work
