Bowel Cancer Screening

DID YOU KNOW...............?

Bowel Cancer Screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms) when treatment is more likely to be effective.

Bowel Cancer screening can also detect polyps. These are not cancers, but may develop into cancers over time. They can easily be removed, reducing the risk of bowel cancer developing.

About one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime.

Bowel Cancer is third most common cancer in the UK, and the second biggest cancer killer.

Early detection using the free NHS screening kit may save lives.

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers screening every two years to all men and women aged 60 – 69. People in this age group will automatically be sent an invitation, then their screening kit, so they can do the test at home. Your GP will provide your contact details, so it is important that he or she has your correct name and address.

If you are aged 70 or over, you can ask for a screening kit by calling the Free phone number 0800 707 60 60

Information on bowel cancer screening is available in 19 different languages and is free to download from here.

If you have been invited for bowel cancer screening, and have any questions about the kit, you should call the free phone NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme Helpline on 0800 707 60 60. If you are worried about a specific problem or symptom, or otherwise worried about the risks of bowel cancer, then you should talk to your GP.

For more information call the Bowel Cancer Screening Helpline on
0800 707 60 60 or visit www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk/bowel