An easy screening test that could save your life

Screening for bowel cancer is simple and free. A test kit is delivered to your door, and it has proven a success in the early detection of one of the most common cancers in Australia.   ​​

Bowel cancer begins without any symptoms. But by the time it does produce symptoms it has already spread to other parts of the body. With early detection this can be avoided. 

Tiny traces of blood in a stool can be an early sign of bowel cancer. The bowel cancer screening kit enables a scientist to detect what you cannot see. If found through early screening, more than 90% of bowel cancers can be successfully treated. 

But sadly, fewer than 50% of bowel cancers are detected early.  

Who receives the screening kit? 

From age 50, people will automatically receive a screening kit to their home address. A screening kit will then be sent every two years until age 74.  

Younger people (from age 45) showing symptoms or who have a family history of bowel cancer, may request to join the bowel cancer screening program before their 50th birthday.  

What’s involved? 

It’s very simple and only adds a few extra minutes to the morning routine. Over three days, two tiny samples are collected from two separate stools. All the collection materials are provided, including packaging and a reply-paid envelope. 

The Sonic Healthcare pathology lab tests the samples and you and your doctor receive the results within four weeks.  

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program reduces illness and death from bowel cancer. 

Please don’t ignore the test when it lands in your letter box. For more information, visit the Australian Government’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.