Overview
- NHS England, which released new data Monday, said almost 7 million people took part in bowel screening in 2024/25 and 70,000 cancers have been found since the programme began.
- The programme now mails faecal immunochemical test kits to everyone aged 50 to 74 every two years so people can collect a small stool sample at home.
- About 8.7 million kits go out each year to spot tiny traces of blood in poo, which can point to cancer before symptoms start.
- Uptake among 60- to 74-year-olds has risen to more than seven in ten, and 270,000 people now get regular checks after screening flagged higher risk.
- Health leaders and survivors are urging people to return their kits during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, aligning with a plan that aims for 17,000 earlier diagnoses and nearly 6,000 lives saved by 2035.