The 2-minute test all Britons should take to slash risk of bowel cancer death by 43 per cent, scientists urge

Bowel cancer screening tests can slash the risk of dying from the disease by 43 per cent, a study suggests.

The DIY tool is currently offered to some 17 million Britons aged 50 to 74 every two years.

It looks for small, hidden traces of blood in a person’s stool – an early sign of bowel cancer. 

The latest findings suggest the test is even more effective than previously thought, with a 2024 trial stating a 25 per cent reduced risk of death. 

Figures suggest that the programme is completed by just 70 per cent of eligible people in England.

The screening programme – which sees a testing kit sent via the post – began in 2006, but was extended in 2021 to include Britons in their 50s.

The decision was fuelled by a worrying rise in the disease among young adults.

Bowel cancer cases in under-50-year-olds are 50 per cent higher than they were 30 years ago, studies show. 

In the new study, scientists from the Karolinska Institute analysed data from 376,511 people in Sweden, 203,692 of whom were invited for bowel cancer screening, and 172,819 who were invited later or not at all. 

Participants were around 63 years old, on average. 

At the start of the study, the Swedish screening programme used a method called the guaiac-based faecal occult blood test (gFOBT).

This was also used in the UK prior to 2017, before being later replaced by a more accurate technology, called FIT. 

It was also replaced in Sweden, which the research reflected.

At the end of the study, researchers found those who took the tests had a 43 per cent lower risk, compared to those who did not take them.

Researchers said screening can find bowel cancer earlier, when it is more likely to be successfully treated. 

When caught at the earliest stage, bowel cancer patients have a more than 90 per cent chance of surviving for five years.

This plummets to just six per cent if caught at later stages, when it has spread to other organs. 

The test can also find growths in the bowel called polyps that could turn into cancer, allowing doctors to remove or monitor them.

Speaking of the findings, Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, told the Daily Mail: ‘Screening is one of the best ways to spot the disease early, so please do take the test when you’re eligible for it. 

‘It only takes a few minutes to do at home, but those few minutes could make a life-changing difference.’

There are more than 48,200 cases of bowel cancer in Britain every year.

A total of around 17,700 people die from the disease annually, making it the second biggest cancer killer.

The NHS says symptoms can include changes in bowel habits – such as persistent diarrhoea, looser stools or constipation – as well as blood in the stool or bleeding from the bottom.

Other warning signs include stomach pain, a lump in the abdomen, bloating or unexplained weight loss. 

Feeling unusually tired or short of breath can also be a sign of anaemia, which may be caused by the disease.

Risk increases with age, particularly over 50, and is also higher in people who smoke or are overweight.

Experts say the risk can be reduced by eating a healthy diet rich in fibre – including fruit, vegetables and wholegrains.

Staying physically active, cutting back on alcohol, stopping smoking and limiting red and processed meat are also all said to help.