MILLIONS of Brits are forgetting to complete lifesaving bowel cancer screening tests, health chiefs warn.

The NHS sends free home testing kits that check for traces of blood in poo to everyone aged 50 to 74 every two years.

Brits in their 50s are leaving lifesaving bowel cancer testing kits unopened Credit: Alamy

Dame Deborah James campaigned for the bowel cancer screening age to be lowered before her death from the disease Credit: Dan Williams – Commissioned by The Jattvibe

People in their 50s are the most likely to leave them unopened, with only half sending them back to the lab.

Just 65.2 per cent of those eligible completed their test last year, down from 67.6 per cent the previous year – with highest rates in 70 to 74-year-olds (73 per cent).

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The age of testing was lowered to 50 years old after campaigning by The Jattvibe, spearheaded by Dame Deborah James.

The Jattvibe columnist and former teacher died of the disease aged 40, after a diagnosis five years prior.

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Dame Debs’ parents Heather and Alistair James told The Jattvibe: “Deborah campaigned with The Jattvibe to lower the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50 because she knew that by doing so, lives would be saved.

“Screening is an opportunity to detect cancer in the earliest stages, when it can be treated, even cured.

“So when you get a kit sent to you for the first time, don’t delay.

“It takes a few minutes and it really could be the difference between life and death.”

The tests – known as faecal immunochemical or FIT tests – help spot bowel cancer early and before symptoms appear, making it easier to treat.

Almost 5.2 million people did them last year, finding 100 cases a week.

NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, Prof Peter Johnson, said: “People have extremely busy lives but we are concerned about the low numbers of people in their 50s returning their bowel screening kits.  

“Bowel cancer can develop without any symptoms, but catching it early saves lives.

“So when your kit from the NHS lands on the doormat, don’t put it on a shelf and forget about it. Do the test and send it back.”

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, affecting around 48,000 people every year, according to Cancer Research UK.

FIT tests are designed to spot cancer before symptoms appear

The signs of bowel cancer you need to know – remember BOWEL

B:Bleeding

There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom, of blood in your poo.
Bright red blood could come from swollen blood vessels, haemorrhoids or piles, in your back passage.
Dark red or black blood could come from your bowel or stomach.
Blood in your stools is one of the key signs of bowel cancer, so it’s important to mention it to your doctor so they can investigate.
2. O: Obvious change in loo habits
It’s important to tell your GP if you have noticed any changes in your bowel habits, that lasts three weeks or longer.
It’s especially important if you have also noticed signs of blood in your poo.
You might notice you need to go to the loo more often, you might have looser stools or feel like you’re not going enough or fully emptying your bowels.
Don’t be embarrassed, your GP will have heard a lot worse! Speak up and get it checked.
3. W: Weight loss
This is less common than the other symptoms, but an important one to be aware of. If you’ve lost weight and don’t really know why, it’s worth mentioning to your GP.
You may not feel like eating, feel sick, bloated and not hungry.
4. E: Extreme tiredness
Bowel cancer that causes bleeding can cause a lack of iron in the body – anaemia. If you develop anaemia you’re likely to feel tired and your skin might look pale.
5. L: Lump or pain
As with lots of other forms of cancer, a lump or pain can be a sign of bowel cancer.
It’s most likely you’ll notice a pain or lump in your stomach or back passage.
See your GP if it doesn’t go away, or if it affects how you eat or sleep

The NHS sends around 8.7 million home-testing kits to people every year.

A million more people received one between April 2024 and March 2025 compared to the previous 12 months, after the NHS expanded its bowel cancer screening programme to include younger age groups.

To complete the test, people need to collect a tiny poo sample with a plastic stick and send it back to the NHS in the sample bottle provided.

It will then be checked for blood, which can be a sign of bowel cancer.

Other signs of the disease, which is increasingly affecting younger Brits, include changes to bowel habits – such as having diarrhoea or constipation that’s not normal for you – as well as pain, bloating and losing weight without trying.

Health service labs this year increased the sensitivity of the FIT postal test to boost the number who are sent for further testing.

Younger age groups were more likely to leave their tests uncompleted, according to NHS England.

Just over half (56 per cent) of 54-year-olds took part in screening in the last year, compared 73 per cent of 70 to 74-year-olds.

Heather and Alistair James say FIT tests could be the difference between life and death Credit: Stewart Williams

Dame Debs passed away aged 40 from bowel cancer Credit: Instagram

Joanne was 54 when her kit arrived after the NHS lowered the screening age.

She had no symptoms and left her kit sitting in the bathroom for a couple of weeks before finally doing it.

When she returned the kit, it showed she needed further tests, which then found she had bowel cancer.

Joanne’s cancer was found early so she didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but she had surgery in July 2024.

She is now urging others not to put it off.

Joanne said: “I had no symptoms when I received my test. Not one. So I was really shocked when the results came back.

“I’m just glad I did the kit. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

“I want to make sure everyone else my age is completing theirs when they get one – it’s so easy to do and for me it was life-changing.”

This year marks 20 years since the NHS bowel cancer screening programme began in 2006, screening people from the age of 60.

FIT tests first started being rolled out as part of the programme in 2018, but they were only sent to people as young as 50 in 2025.

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “If you’re in your 50s, you may now receive a screening kit through the post for the first time.

“Every completed kit is an opportunity to detect bowel cancer early or even prevent it altogether.

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

“Don’t put it off, complete your kit and return it as soon as you can.”

Screening is for people without symptoms.

If you have symptoms you think could be bowel cancer, don’t wait to receive your test – speak to your GP.