Bowel cancer screening

The bowel cancer screening programme is the newest national screening programme in the UK. It is in the process of being rolled out at the moment, and it should be completed by the end of 2009.

Bowel cancer screening is used to spot bowel cancer earlier. But it can also help to prevent bowel cancer by finding, and removing, pre-cancerous growths that could develop into full-blown cancer if they were left alone.

Bowel cancer screening uses a test called the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) to check for early signs of bowel cancer.

The FOBT looks for hidden (or ‘occult’) traces of blood in your stools. The test can be done in the privacy of your own home and samples are sent to a lab for testing.

You can find out more information about what it is like to do the test and what happens after the test on our patient information website, CancerHelp UK.

To learn more about spotting bowel cancer early, and hear from doctors and people who have experienced bowel cancer, watch our video.

Pilot studies and scientific research have told us that screening with the FOBT can reduce deaths from bowel cancer by about 15-20%. It is too early to say just how successful the NHS bowel screening programme will be - we need to see it in practice across the UK first.

But it’s estimated that by 2025, bowel screening could save more than 2,000 lives every year.

More than eight out of ten people with bowel cancer detected at an early stage survive for at least five years after being diagnosed. But if the tumour is very advanced when it’s diagnosed, fewer than one in twenty people survive this long.

The bowel screening programme is being offered to both men and women.

In England, people aged 60-69 are screened every 2 years.
In Scotland, people aged 50-74 are screened every 2 years.
In Wales, people aged 60-69 are screened.
In Northern Ireland, the age range for screening is still to be confirmed.

In England, if you are over 70, you can still take part in bowel cancer screening but you won’t automatically receive a kit. You can call freephone 0800 707 60 60 to request a free kit.

Scotland has a bowel screening helpline number - 0800 0121 833, as does Wales - 0800 294 3370.

You can read all about the research we are doing about bowel cancer screening on our research highlights pages.

Our CancerStats section has some detailed statistical information on bowel cancer screening.

Your lifestyle affects your risk of bowel cancer too, and you can reduce your risk by: