A bowel cancer screening test is a stool test sent to your home that checks if you could have bowel cancer. It is available to everyone aged 60 and over.
Everyone aged 60 to 74 who is registered with a GP and lives in England is automatically sent a bowel cancer screening kit every 2 years.
If you are 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
How to use the home test kit
The screening kit used in England is the faecal immunochemical test kit – known as the FIT kit.
You collect a small sample of poo on a small plastic stick and put it into the sample bottle and post it to a lab for testing.
There are instructions that come with the kit. You can also find bowel cancer screening kit instructions on GOV.UK.
Results
Your result should be posted to you within 2 weeks of sending off your kit.
If the test finds anything unusual, you might be asked to have further tests to confirm or rule out cancer.
For more information on the results please follow the link:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening
Further help and support with bowel cancer screening
Call the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60 if:
- you have not had your result after 2 weeks from when you sent off your kit
- you want to know more about screening
- you do not want to be invited for bowel cancer screening
The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has information in other formats, including:
- GOV.UK: bowel cancer screening guide in English and other languages
- GOV.UK: bowel cancer screening easy read guide
If you are concerned about bowel cancer please book a GP appointment.
Easy Read Information