From 1994 she worked with
Jane Wardle on a trial of flexible
sigmoidoscopy that included endoscopic examination of the colon, reporting that 40% of
colorectal cancers could be prevented by this intervention.[6][7] She compared the screening to a
Faecal occult blood (FOB) test.[8] In 2008 she moved to
St Mary's Hospital, London, where she established the Cancer Screening and Prevention Research Group.[4] The group researches bowel cancer and, ultimately, aims to reduce the number of people who die from the disease.[9] Their 2010 paper outlining the results of the UK Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Screening Trial was the most frequently cited paper in
The Lancet that year.[10][11][12][13][14][15] The landmark study was a randomised controlled trial of almost 400,000 adults across 14 areas in the UK.[16][17] If there were any polyps, people were referred for a colonoscopy.[18] The strategy was rolled out by the
UK National Screening Committee in 2011 and was expected to achieved complete population coverage in 2016.[19][20] This was achieved with a £60 million investment from the UK government. It's estimated to prevent 5,000 cancer diagnoses and 3,000 deaths a year.[19] They found an increased risk in
bowel polyps from eating red meat.[21] They examined the incidence and mortality for the following 17 years, finding that people involved in the screening had a 41% lower mortality.[22][23][24] The bowel cancer screening test BowelScope can prevent 35% of bowel cancers.[25][26]
Atkin went on to create a
Special Interest Group (SIG) on Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiologists 1 (SIGGAR1), which analysed the effectiveness of
virtual colonoscopy.[27][28] They found it was less invasive and more effective at finding
precancerous polyps and bowel cancer.[29] She researched the optimum timing of surveillance strategies for people who were at high risk of bowel cancer.[29] Atkin established a patient-friendly process that would invite, screen and follow-up the whole population.[30] She found that patients at risk of developing
bowel cancer benefitted significantly from a follow-up colonoscopy.[31][32][33]
^Blom, Johannes (2010). "Once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screening for adults aged 55–64 years old reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer deaths". BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. 15 (5): 155–6.
doi:
10.1136/ebm1104.
ISSN2515-446X.
PMID20688846.
S2CID206927829.