Dorset Bowel Cancer Screening

Dorset Bowel Cancer Screening have now extended the age range for screening.

This means that anyone aged between 50 and 74 will now automatically be sent a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)  kit every two years. This is a kit you use at home to collect small samples of your poo and post them to a laboratory so they can be checked for tiny amounts of blood (which could be caused by cancer). If you're aged 75 or over, you can ask for a home test kit every 2 years by calling the bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.

About 1 in 20 people will get bowel cancer during their lifetime. You may feel fit and well on the outside but you can’t always tell what’s happening on the inside.

Screening can help detect bowel cancer at an early stage, when it's easier to treat. It can also be used to help check for, and remove, small growths in the bowel called polyps, which can turn into cancer over time.

Getting the results

You'll usually get the results of your bowel cancer screening home test (FIT kit) within 2 weeks after sending your poo sample. Sometimes it can take longer.

You will get a letter telling you the results.

Sometimes you may be asked to do the test again. This is usually to make sure the test has been done properly and gives the correct result.

What the results mean

Most people will get the result No further tests needed

This means no blood was found in your poo. You do not need to do anything else.

You may get the result furthur tests needed. This means blood was found in your poo and needs to be investigated.

You'll be invited to an appointment with a specialist nurse who will talk with you about your results, and what happens next. You'll usually need to have a colonoscopy, which is where a camera is used to check inside your bowel.

If blood is found in your poo, it does not always mean you have cancer. There are more common and less serious causes of blood in your poo, such as an anal fissure or bowel polyps.

We encourage all of our patients to take this test, a few minutes of your time could lead to earlier detection, meaning the chance of survival is over 90%. If you have mislaid your kit, or believe you weren't sent one you can contact the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme on 0800 707 6060.