Detecting it early can make all the difference.

Bowel cancer is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum. It's one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, with almost 44,000 people being diagnosed with bowel cancer every year.

More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. More than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed in people under the age of 50 every year.

1 in 17 men and 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.

The NHS offers people aged 50 to 74 home testing to detect signs of bowel cancer at an early stage when there are no symptoms. Yet, in England only 70% of people take up the offer of screening, meaning almost 1 in 3 people do not take part. Therefore, thousands of people are missing a chance to detect bowel cancer earlier when it is easiest to treat

When diagnosed at the earliest stage, patients have more than a 9 in 10 (91%) chance of survival. This, however, drops to a 1 in 10 chance of survival (11%) when diagnosed at the latest stage.

Bowel cancer is . . .

PREVENTABLE: Regular screening can detect polyps without symptoms and early treatment prevents polyps developing into cancer.

TREATABLE: The earlier the cancer is detected the easier it is to treat and the better the outcome. 60% bowel cancer can be detected on early stages.

BEATABLE: Finding bowel at its earliest stage means the chance of survival is over 90%.

The bowel cancer screening programmes uses a test called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT). A FIT screening kit will be sent to you in the post if you’re within the age range for the screening programme and registered with a GP. It is your choice to do the test or not.  However, regular screening reduces your risk of getting and dying from bowel cancer, and the surgeries in our network encourage patients to carry out the test when they receive their FIT kit. 

For the test, you’ll collect a small amount of poo. This is sent to a lab where they’ll test for blood in your poo. 

Screening can also help to find polyps (non-cancerous growths) which may be growing in the bowel. Polyps can become bowel cancer over time; screening can help to find them so they can be removed before they do. 

If you’re aged between 50 and 74 and registered with a GP surgery, you’ll be invited to take part in bowel cancer screening every two years.

If you're aged 75 or over, you can ask for a screening test by calling the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60. 

Bowel cancer is more common in people over the age of 50, but it can affect anyone of any age. If you’re below the screening age and are worried you may have symptoms of bowel cancer, get in touch with your GP.