Bowel cancer
Bowel cancer screening determines whether you could have bowel cancer. You use a simple home test kit, known as the FIT test, to collect a small sample of poo and send it to a lab. This is checked for tiny amounts of blood which can be a sign of polyps or bowel cancer.
This simple kit can save your life. When diagnosed at the earliest stage, nearly everyone survives bowel cancer. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops.
In Stockport, everyone aged 54 to 74 who is registered with a GP will be automatically sent a bowel cancer screening kit every 2 years. Make sure your GP practice has your correct address so your kit is posted to the right place.
You will first receive a letter explaining about bowel screening. Around two weeks later you will be sent a testing kit with instructions on how to do the test, a tube with a stick in to collect your sample of poo and a specially designed prepaid envelope for you to send it back.
If you're 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by calling the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.
If you're worried about a family history of bowel cancer or have any symptoms, speak to a GP for advice.
Symptoms of bowel cancer
The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:
- bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
- a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- unexplained weight loss
- extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
- a pain or lump in your tummy
If you have any of these symptoms for three weeks or more or things just don’t feel right, speak to your GP.
More information
Other useful resources on bowel cancer include:
- Cancer Research UK's bowel cancer screening page
- the NHS's bowel cancer screening page
- the Bowel Cancer UK website
Cancer Research UK has also produced the following video about how to do the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) at home: