New figures show that NHS screening for bowel cancer is now reaching millions more people compared to a decade ago. Almost 7 million people have had bowel screening from the NHS during 2024/25, compared to around 4.7 million in 2014/15.
Since bowel screening started two decades ago, the NHS has caught 70,000 cancers with almost 85 million people in total screened. A further 270,000 people have benefited from regular surveillance after screening highlighted they may be vulnerable to developing the disease.
The NHS has transformed bowel screening since it was introduced in 2006 for people in their 60s, with the lifesaving test now available to people aged 50 to 74. Only half of people aged 60 to 74 came forward for screening 20 years ago, but this has risen to more than 70% last year. It has never been easier to get screened, with the NHS sending around 8.7 million home-testing kits each year. The kit, known as the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), checks for blood in a small stool sample, which can be a sign of bowel cancer.
The National Cancer Plan for England, published at the start of the year, committed to delivering 17,000 earlier diagnoses by 2035 and saving almost 6,000 lives thanks to the home-testing kits.
Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England said: “The NHS has transformed bowel screening over the last two decades, making it easier than ever before for people’s cancer to be picked up, and the sooner it is spotted the easier it is to treat. And thanks to the fantastic work of Dame Deborah James we’ve seen a big jump in the number of people taking up the offer of bowel screening. Bowel cancer has become more common in recent years, and anyone aged between 50 and 74-years-old should be regularly tested.”