Funding Awarded for Second Round of Free Colorectal Screening Led by Trinity Professor of Medicine

Posted on: 10 December 2010

Trinity’s Dean of Health Sciences, Professor Colm O’Moráin and consultant gastroenterologist at the  Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin Incorporating the National Children’s Hospital (AMNCH) at Tallaght  has been awarded €100,000 by the Meath Foundation to conduct the second round of free colorectal screening to people  aged 50-74 at the Tallaght Hospital.  AMNCH  is the first hospital in the country to offer such a screening programme.

The results of the first two years of the bowel screening programme were announced   September last. The results showed  that 137 people tested positive for advanced neoplasia or cancer in the Tallaght area alone.  Since the screening programme began in 2008, 10,000 men and women, between the age of age of 50 and 74, have been offered free bowel screening.  Of the 10,000 offered screening, 5,063 accepted.  This is a participation rate of 51% and of these 10% tested positive for blood, higher than the 6% rate that was expected.  Cancer was detected in 38 tests and advanced neoplasia (early stage cancer) in a further 99.

The AMNCH-TCD Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme has demonstrated the importance of formal approaches in developing and implementing cancer screening programmes.  The expertise gained from this programme will be particularly crucial in the commencement of future country-wide colorectal screening programme.

Early detection is vital in the fight against bowel cancer. Survival rates are low for cancer at any stage; however, this programme has proved that screening and early detection can save lives.

L-R Prof Colm O’Moráin, AMNCH/TCD Nikki Shearer, Nurse Coordinator  and Dean of Research Dr David Lloyd