HOME-TESTING kits that can help detect early-stage bowel cancer will be rolled out to 58-year-olds in England for the first time, as part of a major expansion of the lifesaving screening programme.
People aged 58 years will now receive a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) if and when eligible, which can detect early signs of bowel cancer by precisely recording the presence of any blood in just one gram of poo.
Around 830,000 additional people will now be eligible for the screening test.
The move is the latest stage in the phased rollout for people aged 50 and over, which was introduced to 56 year olds in April 2021.
FIT kits can be conveniently carried out at home by putting a poo sample in a small tube and returning it by post to the NHS for further tests.
Those newly eligible will receive an invitation letter and will be sent their test with full instructions and prepaid return packaging.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer with almost 43,000 cases in the UK each year – however it can be easier to treat if found at an earlier stage.
