Bowel Cancer Screening

What is bowel cancer screening?

Bowel cancer screening is a simple test you do at home to check for early signs of bowel (colorectal) cancer even before you have symptoms. It uses a kit called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), which looks for small amounts of blood in your poo. Finding early signs can make treatment easier and more effective.

Who is invited, and when?

• If you are aged 50 to 74, and registered with a GP, you will be invited to take the FIT home test every 2 years. 
• If you are 75 or older, you can still take part in screening every 2 years, but you must ask for a kit by calling the bowel cancer screening helpline: 0800 707 60 60. 
• If you think you should have been invited but have not received anything, you can contact the screening helpline to ask for a kit. 

How to use the home test (FIT kit)

When your kit arrives in the post, it should include a small bottle, a sampling stick, an envelope, and instructions. Here’s how to do it:

1. Put the date on the sample bottle.
2. Collect a small sample of poo in a clean container (do not let it touch the toilet water).
3. Use the sampling stick (in the lid) to scrape a little from the surface of the poo just enough to fill the grooves.
4. Put the stick back into the bottle and screw the lid on tightly.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly.
6. Place the bottle in the envelope provided, seal it, and post it back as soon as possible (postage is free).

Getting your results

• You should receive your results by letter in about two weeks. 
• No further tests needed: This is the most common outcome. It means no or only very low levels of blood were found. You’ll be sent another screening kit in two years (if you’re still in the eligible age range).
• Further tests needed: If blood is found, you will be invited to a specialist appointment to discuss next steps. Usually this involves a colonoscopy, which allows doctors to see inside your bowel.

Having blood in your sample doesn’t always mean cancer it could be caused by other conditions. 

Benefits and risks

Benefits

• Screening can detect cancer earlier, when treatment is more likely to work well. 
• It can also find non-cancerous growths (polyps) which can be removed before they turn into cancer. 

Risks / limitations

• The test might miss something (for example, if a polyp or cancer wasn’t bleeding at the time). 
• Finding blood may lead to further tests that turn out not to be cancer this can cause worry or anxiety. 
• Cancer can develop in the interval between tests. That is why it’s important to see your GP if you notice symptoms even if your last screening was normal. 

Symptoms to watch for

Even if you’re taking part in screening, you should see your GP if you notice any of these symptoms for 3 weeks or more:

• Blood in your poo (it may look red or black)
• Bleeding from your bottom
• A change in your usual bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation)
• Needing to go to the toilet more often, or feeling like you can’t fully empty your bowel
• Abdominal (tummy) pain or a lump
• Losing weight for no obvious reason
• Feeling very tired (possible sign of anaemia)

Using your bowel cancer screening kit

This short animation explains how to use your bowel cancer screening kit. Subtitles are available in English, as well as Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Farsi, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. A British Sign Language version is also available.

Watch on Vimeo

Help, support & contact

• For help with your screening kit, or to ask for it in a different format (e.g. large print, Braille, other languages), call the bowel cancer screening helpline: 0800 707 60 60
• The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
• If you have any questions or concerns, speak to your GP or a specialist nurse.

More information about bowel cancer screening

• NHS bowel cancer screening: helping you decide
• Bowel cancer screening - easy read guide