In a forthcoming announcement to be made at the ‘Britain Against Cancer’ conference on Tuesday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will introduce new cancer-screening programmes for bowel and cervical cancer; with the programmes essentially aimed at bringing the UK up to the best-possible screening standards in Europe.

The programmes to be unveiled by the Health Secretary will basically offer free cancer tests to 55-years-and-above men and women in six regional pilot schemes. The pilots of cancer screening to be announced will comprise more sensitive computerized screening mechanism vis-à-vis the conventional smear tests.

With the new, more accurate tests being capable of detecting cervical cancer much earlier, women will not have to be screened for the disease as often as they are now required.

In the Tuesday announcement, Hunt is expected to disclose that the new £1.2 million pilot scheme for cervical cancer screening will be introduced in different parts of the UK from March 2013; with the potential of saving thousands of lives every year.

Moreover, with the soon-to-be-announced £2 million pilot screening programme for bowel cancer to help save nearly 3,000 lives each year, Hunt said: “I want to make sure our survival is among the best and NHS patients receive the best treatment available.”