This at-home cancer test will soon be sent to all over-50s in England
All 50 to 74-year-olds in England will receive a home-testing kit for bowel cancer every two years, as the NHS expands its lifesaving screening programme.
The age is now being lowered from 54 to 50 after trials of a local screening test, bringing it in line with Scotland and Wales. Around 850,000 additional people in England will therefore be eligible for the screening test.
Those aged 50 and 52 will receive their tests by the end of March, while people aged 51 and 53 will be posted a kit after their next birthday. Anyone aged 75 and over can request a kit by phoning the NHS bowel cancer screening helpline.
How do I do a bowel cancer home test?
Known as the 'faecal immunochemical test' (FIT), the kit checks for blood in a small stool sample, which can be a sign of bowel cancer, with about 90% accuracy. People are sent their kit in the post. They collect their sample at home in a small tube before mailing it to the NHS in a prepaid envelope.
One out of every 50 – or 2% – of those who return samples need further testing, which can include a scan, says the NHS. But new figures show that less than 60% in the 54-57 age range return their FIT kits, compared with over 70% in the 60-74 group. The NHS is therefore calling on more people to take up the potentially life-saving offer.
Steve Russell, National Director for Vaccinations and Screening at NHS England, said: 'Lives are saved when cancers are caught early and the expansion of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme to those aged 50 will help to spot signs of bowel cancer sooner.
'We are seeing positive uptake of the home testing FIT kits, with over two thirds of those eligible returning their tests, but this drops off in the lower age groups.
'If you’ve got a FIT kit hiding in a drawer at home, I would encourage you to return it quickly as you can.'
What are bowel cancer symptoms?
Bowel cancer is the second-biggest cancer killer in the UK, with 44,000 cases and 16,000 deaths each year. It's also becoming more common in middle-aged adults, the NHS warns. The signs to watch out for include:
Stomach pain lasting three weeks or more
Change in bowel habits: going to the loo more often, tummy pain and looser, pale or greasy stools
Blood in stools without other causes, like piles
Diarrhoea or constipation lasting for three weeks or more
Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating, usually after eating
Extreme weight loss or tiredness, with no clear cause
'There is no need to feel embarrassed about poo – the test is quick and simple to use and can detect signs of bowel cancer, often before symptoms appear, so please do return your FIT kit if you are sent one,' said Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England.
'If anyone experiences symptoms such as blood in their poo or severe stomach pain, no matter their age, they should speak to their GP and get it checked out as soon as possible.'
As Bowel Cancer UK's research director Dr Lisa Wilde noted, 'More than nine in 10 people survive bowel cancer when it's diagnosed at the earliest stage.'
More health stories:
New research suggests 10% increase in bowel cancer cases by 2040
Dawn Butler MP: 'I want people to have an equal chance of survival from cancer'
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