The Crane Valley Primary Network of GP surgeries is committed to saving lives by emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis in the fight against bowel cancer.

We are raising awareness of Bowel Cancer Screening and the importance of completing your at-home test when it is sent in the post. Bowel Cancer Screening was introduced in the UK, 20 years ago and since then, it has saved thousands of lives. Cancer screening is for people with no symptoms.  Detecting it early can make all the difference.

About Bowel Cancer

Bowel screening aims to find cancer early, or to find changes in your bowel that could lead to cancer before they are noticeable.

If you are aged between 50 and 74, you will be sent a bowel screening at home test in the post.

All the instructions are included on the box and just a tiny sample can help find cancer early, when it is easiest to treat.

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.

Scroll down to find out why its important to do the test and return your sample when sent a screening kit (called a FIT kit). 

1. It Catches Cancer Before You Have Symptoms

Bowel cancer is notoriously silent in its early stages. By the time someone notices obvious symptoms—like blood in their stool, unexplained weight loss, or a persistent change in bowel habits—the cancer may have already grown or spread.

The screening kit (called the FIT kit, or Fecal Immunochemical Test) looks for microscopic amounts of blood hidden in your stool that you cannot see with the naked eye. This allows doctors to find changes long before you feel unwell.

2. It Can Actually Prevent Cancer from Starting

This is a detail that trips many people up: the kit doesn't just look for cancer; it also detects polyps.

Polyps are tiny, benign (non-cancerous) growths on the inner lining of the bowel. Over several years, some of these polyps can slowly turn into cancer. If a screening test picks up blood from a polyp, you'll be invited for a colonoscopy to look inside the bowel. Doctors can usually remove these polyps right then and there during the procedure, stopping cancer before it even has a chance to start.

3. The Survival Rates Multiply with Early Detection

Bowel cancer is highly treatable if it is caught early. The difference in outcomes based on when the cancer is found is staggering:

• Caught at Stage 1 (Earliest stage): More than 90% of people survive for 5 years or more.
• Caught at Stage 4 (Latest stage): The survival rate drops to around 10%.

Screening heavily shifts the odds toward that early, highly treatable window.

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. 

If you think you have missed a bowel cancer screening, don’t worry—you will automatically receive a kit every two years. However, if you would like to opt in earlier, you can call the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060. The team can check when you are next due to receive a kit or arrange for one to be sent to you sooner if needed.