Overview
- An analysis by Bowel Cancer UK of NHS integrated care board data finds that 29% of eligible people in England are not completing the bowel screening test.
- Participation varies widely across regions, reaching 76% in NHS Devon but falling to 56% in NHS North West London, with all Greater London areas below the national average.
- The screening uses a faecal immunochemical test sent by post every two years to people aged 50 to 74, with results usually within two weeks and a positive test leading to a colonoscopy.
- The at-home nature of the test leads some people to delay or avoid it due to embarrassment, though evidence shows many continue once they have completed their first kit.
- Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer and causes about 17,700 deaths a year, yet more than nine in ten people survive when it is found at the earliest stage.