People are being encouraged to overcome any reluctance and use home-testing kits for bowel cancer when they arrive in the mail. The NHS England recently lowered the eligibility age for these tests to include 50-year-olds for the first time. Despite this, the uptake remains below 60%, prompting NHS leaders in Gloucestershire to join the nationwide push for greater participation in the screening program.
Dr. Sadaf Haque, the clinical cancer lead for Gloucestershire, emphasized the importance of the home test. She reassured the public that the kit is not intimidating and is easy to use. The test only requires a small sample of stool, which is then sent to a lab for analysis. “It’s really exciting that this test is being made available, and it’s not a scary kit at all,” Dr. Haque said. “The lab just needs a little sample of your poo.”
The test is designed to detect hidden blood in the stool, which may be an early sign of bowel cancer, even if there are no obvious symptoms. Bowel cancer often doesn’t show symptoms until it’s in an advanced stage, so early detection is crucial. In the UK, around 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, with approximately 16,800 dying from the disease. The screening program sends a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) to eligible individuals every two years.
Dr. Haque explained that collecting the sample is simple and can be done at home. The kit includes instructions on how to place a piece of clingfilm over the toilet bowl or use a box lined with tissue paper. A small stick included in the kit is then used to scrape a sample, which is placed in a container and returned in a freepost envelope.
The symptoms of bowel cancer can include changes in bowel habits, such as going to the toilet more often, tummy pain, looser stools, blood in the stools without other causes like hemorrhoids, and unexplained tiredness or weight loss. However, many people with early-stage bowel cancer may not show any symptoms, which is why screening is so important.
Thanks to the recent lowering of the age eligibility, over 850,000 additional people in England will now receive the home-testing kit. Most people who participate in the screening will receive the all-clear, but those with abnormalities detected in their sample may be invited for further tests, such as a colonoscopy.
Dr. Anisha Patel, a GP and ambassador for Bowel Cancer UK, shared her own experience with bowel cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer after initially dismissing symptoms like bleeding as being caused by piles. “I thought it was just constipation-related, but as time went on, the symptoms progressed, and I realized something wasn’t quite right,” she recalled. Dr. Patel stressed the importance of raising awareness about the test and breaking the stigma around discussing bowel health. “It’s so important that we increase uptake, raise awareness, and wipe away the shame and taboo associated with pooing and bowel habits,” she said.
Dr. Ruby Osborn, senior research officer at Bowel Cancer UK, also highlighted the benefits of early detection. “Bowel cancer is very treatable when caught early,” she said. “Having these systems in place will make a huge difference in the number of people surviving bowel cancer.” Dr. Osborn noted that sometimes pre-cancerous polyps are detected during screening, which can be removed through a colonoscopy, preventing cancer from developing.
Anyone concerned about bowel cancer symptoms or who wants more information should contact their GP or Bowel Cancer UK.
