60,000 more people now eligible for free bowel screening as HSE expands BowelScreen programme to people aged 58

BowelScreen, Ireland’s free bowel cancer screening programme, has announced that it is now offering screening to people aged 58. This is the third expansion of the screening programme’s offering since October 2023 and makes screening available to men and women aged 58 to 70. Over time, the HSE is expanding the screening programme to people aged 55 to 74.

People can expect their first invitation for bowel screening between their 58th and 60th birthday. Taking part in BowelScreen is now even easier as people can request their kit 24/7 through a new online register. People can use the new online system to check if you are registered with BowelScreen, provide your contact details, check when your next test is due and request a home test kit.

Bowel screening aims to prevent bowel cancer developing by detecting signs of bowel cancer at an early stage, where there are no symptoms. Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Ireland every year. It is the second most common of all cancers in men and the third most common of all cancers in women in Ireland. If bowel cancer is found early, it’s easier to treat and there’s a better chance of recovery.

How BowelScreen works:

• BowelScreen will send an invitation letter to take part in screening.
• People can request their kit online using the QR Code on the letter, or by phoning 1800 45 55 55 or emailing info@bowelscreen.ie
• BowelScreen send the home test kit. Send back a small sample of your poo for testing.
• BowelScreen test the sample. Most people (96 out of 100) get a normal result – this means that no blood is found, and they are sent another test in two years. If blood is found above a certain limit, you will be referred for a further test called a colonoscopy
• A colonoscopy is done in one of the 15 hospital endoscopy units. A camera on the end of a thin flexible tube is used to look inside your bowel. Pre-cancerous changes (polyps) can be removed during the procedure. Removing polyps helps prevent cancer developing
• Of the small percentage of people who have colonoscopies, approximately 1 in 20 will have a cancer detected through screening

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD said: "The continued expansion of the BowelScreen Programme by the HSE’s National Screening Service is an important step in our ongoing investment in public health and disease prevention. This will ensure that more people across Ireland can benefit from early detection, timely treatment and ultimately better outcomes.

"The inclusion of 58-year-olds in the latest phase will extend access to colorectal cancer screening to an additional 60,000 people across the country. I encourage all those eligible to take up their BowelScreen invitation, and to engage with our screening services."

BowelScreen Clinical Director Professor Pádraic Mac Mathúna, said: “Making BowelScreen available to younger people is an important step in preventing and detecting bowel cancer early. Our primary goal in BowelScreen is to reduce mortality from bowel cancer. We prevent cancers from developing by finding and removing small growths (called polyps), which can turn into cancer if left untreated. Every year, around 3,000 people have pre-cancerous growths removed because they did our BowelScreen test. These are all potential cancers prevented. In addition, if cancer is diagnosed through BowelScreen testing, it is more likely to be found at an early stage when treatment may lead to a better outcome.

“A screening test is not a diagnostic test – it looks for a level of blood in your sample. Not all cancers or polyps bleed all the time so a normal result does not guarantee that cancer isn’t present. This is why it is so important to be aware of symptoms of bowel cancer and go to your GP immediately, even if you had a recent normal screening result. Do not wait for your next screening test if you have any symptoms of bowel cancer.”

Hilary Coffey Farrell, BowelScreen Programme Manager, said: “By inviting people for screening from age 58, we are offering the test to around 60,000* more people. This is in addition to the 110,000* more invitations we have sent to people aged 59 and 70 since we began expanding the age range for bowel screening in 2023.

“Whether you are 58, 70, or any age in between, our message is the same – please do the test when we invite you. We are making the test available to more people but we need you to take that step and do the test. Our new online register makes it easy to request your kit. Just scan the QR code on your invitation letter and request your kit or contact us by phone or email – all the details are in the letter. If you don’t send your test back, we send you a reminder by text message, and if you need a new kit, we will send it to you.” 

The new online register is the latest BowelScreen initiative aiming to increase participation in the screening programme. The most recent programme report shows an overall uptake rate of 46.4% - this is the percentage of people invited over a two-year period who do the test and return it. However, 9 out of 10 people who do one BowelScreen test go on to do it again.

For more information, to check if registered and request a kit, people can go to hse.ie/bowelscreen or call 1800 45 55 55.

BowelScreen is part of the HSE’s National Screening Service.