Am I eligible for bowel cancer screening?
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program is an Australian Government initiative that sends out free bowel cancer screening tests to eligible Australians aged 50-74 years every two years.
Invitations are sent to the address listed in your Medicare or Department of Veterans’ Affairs record.
You should receive an invitation around the time of your birthday, but it may be up to six months after.
Check when you are due to receive your free bowel screening test.
Contact the National Cancer Screening Register to update your contact details:
- Phone: 1800 627 701
- Website: Online Enquiry Form
What are the bowel cancer risk factors?
The biggest single risk factor for bowel cancer is increasing age. In NSW, 93% of bowel cancers are found in people aged 50 and over.
People aged 50 and over should get checked for bowel cancer every two years.
If you are over 50 or have additional risk factors, talk to your doctor about getting screened for bowel cancer.
The risk is greater if you:
- are aged 50 years and over
- have had an inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis
- have previously had special types of polyps, called adenomas, in the bowel
- have a significant family history of bowel cancer or polyps.
Find more information on hereditary bowel cancer.
When will I get my free bowel cancer screening test?
The bowel cancer screening test kit arrives every two years. If you haven’t completed the test before, enter your date of birth below to see when you’re due to receive your free bowel screening test.
- NSW Cancer Plan:
- Focus Cancer
