CRUK TET BETA

Bowel cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in England. Biennial Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) screening can reduce bowel cancer-related deaths by detecting cases before symptoms develop. However, uptake remains suboptimal, particularly among men. Evidence from a single-centre study in Scotland suggests that a brief intervention, akin to patient navigation, delivered to men attending routine abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening appointments, can facilitate participation.

The overarching aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, feasibility, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of implementing  patient navigation intervention across multiple AAA screening services in England.

This study will be a single-arm, multi-centre feasibility study that will be conducted across five AAA screening centres in England:

1. Leicester
2. Birmingham and Black Country
3. London
4. West Yorkshire
5. Somerset and North Devon.

Over a three-month period (November–February 2026), AAA screening practitioners will deliver patient navigation to a sample of approximately 4190 men, aged 65+ years, who attend AAA screening and self-report as bowel screening non-responders.

The aims of this research are to:

1. Assess the efficacy of delivering patient navigation, during AAA screening (Work Package 1)
2. Assess the feasibility of delivering patient navigation, during AAA screening  (Work Package 2a and 2b)
3. Assess the acceptability of delivering patient navigation, during AAA screening  (Work Package 3a and 3b)
4. Assess the cost-effectiveness of delivering patient navigation, during AAA screening (Work Package 1)
5. Develop an implementation toolkit for the intervention, with the aim of supporting future adoption / roll out.