Getting bowel screening through the national bowel screening programme - BowelScreen - involves using a home test kit.
Deciding to do a BowelScreen home test kit is your choice. To make an informed choice, you'll need to understand what bowel screening can and cannot do.
What bowel screening can do
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in Ireland.
Bowel screening can:
- prevent bowel cancer developing in the future
- find bowel cancer early, when it's often easier to treat
How regular bowel screening can save lives
You can get a free BowelScreen home test kit at an age when your risk of getting bowel cancer is higher. Using this kit is one of the best ways to protect yourself from bowel cancer.
Your poo sample is tested for blood above a certain level, a sign of:
- bowel polyps (growths) that can turn into cancer over time
- cancer at an early stage before you have symptoms
What bowel screening cannot do
Bowel screening:
- may not help if you already have advanced bowel cancer
- does not find or prevent every bowel cancer developing
Developing cancer after a normal BowelScreen home test result
You can get cancer after a normal BowelScreen home test result if:
- changes happen between your last home test and your next one
- you have a bowel polyp or cancer but the test did not find any signs of it in your poo sample
The test will not find signs of a polyp or cancer if any blood in your poo is below a certain level.
This is why it is important to:
- do the BowelScreen home test every 2 years
- check for symptoms of bowel cancer
Urgent advice: Contact your GP immediately if:
- you have symptoms of bowel cancer
Do this even if you have had a recent normal bowel screening result.