Bowel screening programme

Bowel screening is offered every 2 years to people aged 60 to 74 years old. This is the age group with the highest risk of developing bowel cancer. It is offered through the National Bowel Screening Programme.

Data from the bowel screening programme shows that the bowel screening test will find at least 7 out of 10 cancers that are present. Bowel cancers do not bleed all the time, so sometimes a cancer can be missed. Bowel cancer may also start to develop between screening tests. For these reasons it is important that people have bowel screening every 2 years and talk to their healthcare provider straight away if they have any bowel cancer symptoms.

Bowel screening is available to those who are eligible for publicly funded health care.

Publicly funded health and disability — Health New Zealand

Bowel cancer often has no symptoms. The bowel screening test helps find bowel cancer early, when it can often be successfully treated.

See your healthcare provider if you have symptoms such as blood in your poo or a change in your bowel habits. Do not wait to get your bowel screening test kit.

You do not have to do anything to join the programme. When you turn 60, you will be invited to join.

If you are eligible to take part, you will be sent:

• an invitation letter
• a consent form
• a free bowel screening test kit
• instructions on how to use the test kit.

The test can be done at home and is simple to do.

Doing the bowel screening test

You will continue to be sent a test kit every 2 years from the ages of 60 to 74.

There are clinical reasons why the age range for bowel screening is 60 to 74.

Health problems increase with age and sometimes these health problems can make undergoing a colonoscopy more risky. For this reason, an individual approach, guided by a person's healthcare provider, is more appropriate.

People over the age of 75 can still develop bowel cancer. It is important to know what your bowel motions (poo) look like normally, and what your bowel habits are. If you notice some changes that are unusual for you, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible. These changes may not be signs of bowel cancer, but there may be other issues that need to be checked out.

Some people may have an increased risk of developing bowel cancer.

The risk factors include:

• 2 or more close family members on the same side of the family who have had bowel cancer
• you have a close family member who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at a young age (under 55 years)
• you and your family have a known or suspected genetic bowel cancer syndrome.

If you have one of these risk factors, you should discuss this with your healthcare provider at your next visit. You may be advised to have regular colonoscopy or be referred to the New Zealand Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service for assessment.

NZ Familial Gastrointestinal Cancer Service

If you are not already having regular colonoscopy and you receive a kit from the bowel screening programme, you should still do the bowel screening test, even if one of these risk factors applies to you.

The National Bowel Screening Programme does not endorse or encourage the use of faecal bowel screening test kits outside the programme.

A positive result from a National Bowel Screening Programme test kit is followed by a free follow up test. This is usually a colonoscopy within a certain time frame. This is not available for test kits purchased and used outside of the programme.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have symptoms such as blood in your poo or a change in your bowel habits.

Contact us to find out more about the National Bowel Screening Programme.

• Free phone: 0800 924 432 — Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm
• Email: info@bowelscreening.health.nz