Bowel Cancer Screening

A simple home testing kit that looks for tiny amounts of blood in the stool. You take a stool sample after a bowel movement in the privacy of your own bathroom, then post the sample off to a lab for analysis.

Step 1 – Receive your kit in the post
Step 2 – Collect your sample
Step 3 – Freepost it back

If further tests are needed, this result means that blood was found in your poo sample.

You do not necessarily have bowel cancer (the blood could be the result of something like piles), but you will be offered an appointment to talk about having another test called a colonoscopy to look for the cause.

A colonoscopy is where a thin tube with a camera inside is passed into your bottom to look for signs of bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel. Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer. Most people diagnosed with it are over the age of 60.

It usually first develops on the inner lining of the bowel inside clumps of cells called polyps. It does not mean you will get bowel cancer if you develop polyps. Only a few grow and eventually develop into bowel cancer over a period of several years.

You can find out more about bowel cancer by visiting the NHS website. It will provide information about symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and how to live with it.

The exact cause of bowel cancer is unknown, but there are several factors that make it more likely that you may develop it.

Family history – if you’re concerned that your family’s medical history may mean you’re at an increased risk of developing bowel cancer, it may help to speak to you GP.

Diet – A diet high in red and processed meat can increase your risk of developing bowel cancer. You should limit this to 90g of uncooked meat a day – that’s around 2 pork sausages or a palmful of mince. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables!

Smoking – This is linked to a range of cancers including bowel cancer. Naturally, you should try and stop smoking if you can. There is lots of advice and support available. Speak to your GP about smoking cessation in your area or you can read more about stopping smoking.

Alcohol – there is a link particularly if you drink large amounts. Read these tips about cutting down on alcohol.

Obesity – There is a link, particularly in men. Losing weight may help lower your chances of developing the condition.

Sedentary lifestyle – You should be active for around 20 minutes every day. It could be as simple as walking to the shops and back!

That’s understandable. Talking about bowels and their movements is very personal. There are very few occasions where it is seen as ‘socially acceptable’ to bring up the topic of bowels! So it’s no wonder that the whole topic feels uncomfortable and embarrassing. It’s not even something we often talk about with our partners.

Rest assured you don’t even need to leave the house for this screening. Get a stool sample at home and post it to get tested. If caught early it is treatable and curable. So take the test when it comes…and if you can, encourage your family and friends of a similar age to do the same too.

We’d rather you were laughing about being embarrassed than worrying about anything else.

More than half of all people diagnosed with bowel cancer have no symptoms. Changes in stool, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss can all signal bowel cancer. But once those symptoms begin to develop, the disease may be more advanced.

Getting tested early means you catch it early, making it much more likely to be treated and cured.

The myth that bowel cancer is a death sentence is due partly to the fact that at the time of diagnosis, the cancer may have already spread to other parts of the body. The most important thing to remember is that bowel cancer has a very high cure rate when it’s caught early. That’s why screening is so important!

Most people who develop bowel cancer have no known family history of it. But if a parent or sibling has had it, you’re four times more likely to get the disease.

It’s true that too much consumption of red or processed meat has been linked to higher rates of bowel cancer, but just because you are vegetarian or vegan does not mean you’re risk free.