New bowel cancer screening test to be offered in England

A new bowel cancer home testing kit is to be rolled out across England following a successful pilot involving 40,000 people.

The Faecal Immonochemical Test works by detecting hidden blood in stool samples, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer. It is easier to use than current home testing kits, requiring only one stool sample, instead of two samples from three separate stools.

Based on the success of the pilot, the UK National Screening Committee has recommended that the test be rolled out nationally, meaning it will now be offered to all men and women aged 60 to 74 every two years.

Currently, only 58 percent of people who are sent a kit actually complete it. By simplifying the process, screening uptake is expected to be increased by around ten percent, resulting in around 200,000 more people a year being tested.

Public health minister Jane Ellison said: "This new test is an exciting game changer for helping us beat bowel cancer. It is easier to use, will increase the number of tests and help us tackle cancer earlier."

The independent Cancer Taskforce has set a goal of 75 percent uptake of screening across England by 2020, and it is expected that the test will help to achieve this.