As reported by NHS England, home-testing kits for bowel cancer detection are now being sent to people aged 50 and 52 in England as the NHS rolls out its lifesaving screening programme
Hundreds of thousands more people will be sent a home-testing kit that can help to detect signs of bowel cancer, as the NHS expands its lifesaving screening programme to those aged 50 in England.
People aged 50 and 52 are now starting to automatically receive a home test kit every two years by post when they become eligible, marking the final phase of the NHS ambition to offer everyone 50-74 the screening test. Around 850,000 additional people in England a year will be eligible for the screening test, with over 4 million more people invited since roll out began in 2021
The kit, known as the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), checks for blood in a small stool sample, which can be a sign of bowel cancer.
The NHS is also calling on more people to take up the potentially lifesaving offer, as figures show that uptake is lower in those aged 54 – 59 – with less than 60% of 54–57-year-olds having taken up the offer, compared to over 70% returning their FIT kits in the 60-74 range.
Those newly eligible will receive an invitation letter and will be sent their test with full instructions and prepaid return packaging. This will happen automatically for people in this new age group as this rolls out across the country.
Steve Russell, national director for vaccinations and screening at NHS England, said: “Lives are saved when cancers are caught early and the expansion of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme to those aged 50 will help to spot signs of bowel cancer sooner, and potentially save thousands of lives.”
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