I'm under the screening age, but I'm worried about symptoms/have a family history of bowel problems. Can I be screened?
No. The English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is available only to people aged 60 years and over who are based in England. It cannot screen people who are below this age or who live elsewhere. (Click on the links for details of the bowel screening programmes in Northern Ireland, Wales and in Scotland.)
If you are worried about symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habit, pain in your abdomen, bleeding from the back passage, tiredness or weight loss, or are worried about your bowel health in any way, you shouldn't wait for screening. You should speak to your GP, who can arrange for referral to a specialist if necessary.
Back to frequently asked questions
- NHS BCSP home page
- Programme publications
- About bowel screening
- Why screen for bowel cancer?
- What is the purpose of bowel cancer screening?
- How is the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme organised?
- Who is eligible for bowel cancer screening?
- Age extension to bowel cancer screening
- How are GPs involved in bowel cancer screening?
- How much does bowel screening cost?
- How does the screening process work?
- What does my bowel cancer screening result mean?
- How does the FOB test work?
- What is a colonoscopy?
- What are the risks of colonoscopy?
- More information about the
screening programme- Who does what in the NHS BCSP?
- List of hubs and screening centres
- NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Evaluation Group
- Bowel cancer
- GP Pack (Information for primary care)
- NHS bowel cancer training centres in England
- The English Bowel Screening Pilot
- Evaluation of English Bowel Screening Pilot
- Evaluation of the second round of the English Bowel Screening Pilot
- Use of patient information
- Frequently asked questions
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Programme news index
- Research in bowel cancer screening
- Useful links