The NHS has issued a plea to people in their 50s to complete bowel cancer screening, citing “low numbers” of participants. Official figures from NHS England show that just over half of 54-year-olds returned their at-home testing kits last year, compared to 74% of those aged 70 to 74.

“Bowel cancer can develop without any symptoms, but catching it early saves lives,” said Prof Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer. Free home-testing kits are sent to all 50 to 74-year-olds every two years in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland sends free tests to people aged 60 to 74, though officials are considering expanding screening to younger groups.

The kits, called the faecal immunochemical test (Fit), require tiny stool samples which doctors check for blood. The NHS says at least one hundred cancers are diagnosed on average per week through its screening programmes from April 2024 to March 2025. “So when your kit from the NHS lands on the doormat, don't put it on a shelf and forget about it. Do the test and send it back - it could save your life,” Johnson said.

The NHS posts approximately 8.7 million Fit kits every year. The program began as a pilot in 2021 before being distributed to all those aged 50 to 74 from January last year. Cancer Research UK says more than 130 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer - the fourth most common type - each day in the UK, accounting for about 12% of all new cancer cases.

Joanne Vernon, from Wigan, returned her Fit at age 54 and was diagnosed with early stage bowel cancer despite having no symptoms. “I had no symptoms when I received my test. Not one. So I was really shocked when the results came back,” said Vernon, now 56. Her cancer was detected early, requiring surgery but no chemotherapy or radiotherapy. “I want to make sure everyone else my age is completing theirs when they get one - it's so easy to do and for me it was life-changing.”