Health officials urge people in their 50s to complete bowel cancer screening
Officials in England say uptake of the home bowel cancer test remains too low among people aged 54, despite the programme being free.
Health officials in England are urging people in their 50s to return bowel cancer screening kits, after figures showed only a little over half of 54-year-olds completed the free home test. The warning comes as the NHS tries to catch more cases earlier, when treatment is more likely to work.
The screening programme sends test kits to eligible adults so they can collect a sample at home and post it back for analysis. According to health officials, participation falls short of what is needed to make the programme as effective as possible.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, and screening is intended to find signs of disease before symptoms appear. Officials say the test is especially important because early detection can improve outcomes.
The latest reminder is part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness among people in their 50s, who are among those invited to take part in the national screening scheme.
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