A WARRINGTON dad is backing a campaign during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, urging people to complete their bowel screening test when it arrives, with a simple message: “Just a tiny bit of poo could be lifesaving for you!”
Steve Hollington had his bowel cancer diagnosed in 2022 after completing a screening test and has compared the arrival of the test kit at his home to receiving a winning lottery ticket.
The NHS sends a home testing kit every two years to people aged 50 to 74. It asks you to take a small sample from your poo and send it to be checked for signs of bowel cancer. The test is called a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) and it looks for tiny traces of blood, which can be an early sign of cancer.
Blood in poo can be caused by other medical conditions and does not always mean cancer. But if cancer is present, finding it early usually makes treatment more successful.
It is 20 years since the NHS launched its bowel cancer screening programme and this campaign promoting it is running in places across Cheshire and Merseyside during April, with extra focus on areas where fewer people return their screening kits.
Funded by Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA), the campaign explains how to do the test through leaflets, posters and social media. It aims to improve early detection of bowel cancer, the third most common cancer in England.
If you are registered with a GP practice, the NHS will post a screening kit to your home every two years between the ages of 50 and 74. If you are 75 or over, you can request a kit every two years by calling the bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.
If you do not have a permanent home address, you can ask for your kit to be sent to your GP surgery or another address that works for you. Results usually arrive within around two weeks. Most people will have a normal result, but a small number will be invited for further tests.
Warrington dad Steve Hollington, a patient representative at CMCA, had his bowel cancer diagnosed through the screening programme. Steve was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in 2022 after completing his first bowel screening test says that it was a “winning lottery ticket” that the kit landed on his doormat.
Shortly after returning the completed kit, the NHS contacted Steve to say further investigation was required, and after a colonoscopy, two tumours were found in his bowel.
Steve said that he realises that the fear of knowing that you have cancer can be scary and overwhelming but said: “It’s a no-brainer for me. I had no symptoms, I would have carried on not knowing had I have not taken the test, and leaving it so long would have almost certainly been too late to receive the treatment I have. Taking the bowel screening kit has saved my life and could have given me 20 more years to live it.”
John McCabe, Medical Director of CMCA, said: “It is vital to complete your FIT test if you receive one from the NHS in the post. It can find cancer early, before you notice any symptoms.
“Screening does not stop you getting bowel cancer, but it is the best way to find cancer at an early stage, when it is easier to treat. It is easy to do, and you can complete it in the privacy of your own home at a time that suits you.
“Around 2,000 people in Cheshire and Merseyside are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, and there are concerns it is becoming more common in people in their 50s. What we do know is that survival rates are very good when it is caught early. That is why the NHS is sending out millions of free bowel cancer screening kits for people to use at home, and we urge everyone invited to take part.
“There is no need to feel embarrassed about poo. The test is quick and simple and can detect signs of bowel cancer, often before symptoms appear, so please return your FIT kit if you are sent one.
“If at any time you have symptoms such as bleeding from your bottom, a change in your bowel habits, or severe stomach pain, do not wait for screening – contact your GP practice and get checked as soon as possible.”
If you think you are eligible for bowel cancer screening but have not been sent a kit, call the bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 6060. If you live in Merseyside and were sent a kit in the last two years but did not complete it, you can request another kit by calling 0151 706 3823 or emailing BowelScreeningCallForAKit@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
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