As part of a first-of-its-kind campaign, the NHS is encouraging millions of people to use a life-saving bowel cancer testing kit.
With the national campaign launching today across TV, radio and social media, the health service is once again driving early diagnosis to catch cancers at the earliest stage when people are nine times more likely to survive form bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK with around 43,000 people getting diagnosed every single year, killing more than 16,500. Some of the latest statistics indicate that the amount of people choosing to partake in bowel screening to curb this is now at the highest on record at 70.3%. Despite this, 30% of people aren’t returning their tests for analysis.
The test involves people collecting small samples of their poo with a plastic stick and posting it back to the NHS for further evaluation. The Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) is sent each month to millions with those who are aged between 60 and 74 and are registered with a GP practice also being sent the kit automatically every two years.
By 2025, the NHS is looking to lower this age range to include 50-year-olds with the tests currently being rolled out to 56 to 58-year-olds.
NHS Director of Vaccinations and Screening Steve Russell said: “Screening is one of the best ways to diagnose bowel cancer early, or in some cases prevent it from developing in the first place, so we want more people to do it; and stop this disease in its tracks.
“The FIT kit offers eligible people a chance to quickly and safely complete a test for bowel cancer at home; and ensure that more cases are detected earlier. If you’re sent the kit, help yourself by remembering to complete it. Put it by the loo. Don’t put it off.
“If you haven’t taken a test, but are experiencing bowel cancer symptoms, such as blood in your poo or severe stomach pain, no matter your age, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible.”
National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, added: “Thousands of people in England develop bowel cancer each year, but the chances of surviving it are very good when it is caught early, which is why the NHS is sending out millions of free bowel cancer screening kits for people to use in private, at home, which could potentially save their life.
“We have seen a fantastic response to our previous cancer awareness campaigns, with record levels of people coming forward for cancer checks, and more people starting cancer treatment than in previous years.
“I would urge everyone who is sent a kit to return their test as quickly as they can, because this can detect the early signs of bowel cancer and ensure that anyone affected can get treatment for the disease as soon as possible. Don’t die of embarrassment.”
