18/08/2026
The NHS sends out a free bowel cancer screening test every two years to everyone aged 50 to 74 and thousands of people are ignoring it.
It is called the FIT test. No hospital visit, no examination. Just a small stool sample collected at home and posted back. It checks for hidden blood in your stool, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer.
One woman had no symptoms at all. She did the test, bowel cancer was found, and because it was caught early she only needed surgery. No chemotherapy. No radiotherapy.
Bowel cancer often shows no symptoms until it is already advanced. By the time you feel unwell, it may be too late for a simple fix.
If you are in your 50s and that FIT test kit has arrived, do not ignore it. It could save your life.