How to screen for bowel cancer

The bowel cancer screening test, known as an immunochemical Faecal Occult Blood Test (iFOBT), is a simple test that you do at home before sending samples to a pathology laboratory for analysis.

What does the test do?

An iFOBT can detect small amounts of blood in the bowel motion (faeces or poo). The iFOBT looks for blood in the bowel motion as a potential sign of bowel cancer, but it cannot detect bowel cancer itself.

Blood in your bowel motion may be due to conditions other than cancer, such as polyps, haemorrhoids or inflammation of the bowel. The actual cause of bleeding needs to be further investigated.

If your result is positive you will be asked to contact your doctor, who may recommend further tests. This is usually a colonoscopy to help identify the cause of bleeding.

What is the process?

Watch this video on how to do the test for bowel cancer screening

The iFOBT test is quick, easy, painless and can be done in the privacy of your own home.

The bowel cancer screening kit includes an instruction sheet, and you should read this carefully before doing the test.

Some key points when collecting your test sample:

• Take samples from two separate bowel motions - this increases the chances of detecting tiny amounts of blood in your bowel motion.
• Each sample should be collected as close together as possible - From two separate bowel motions (poos), on the same day, the next day or as soon as you can. 
• Pop the samples into the reply paid envelope supplied in your kit - post it back as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of collecting the second sample.
• Store samples in the fridge prior to posting - place the collection tubes into the zip lock bag provided to ensure privacy and avoid any risk of cross contamination. Don't freeze the samples.

Taking the samples as close together as you can, storing them correctly and returning them quickly for analysis will ensure that your result is as accurate as possible. 

If it takes longer than 14 days from when you take the first sample to when your samples reach the pathology laboratory, you will be sent another kit to complete.

Find more answers to your questions about bowel screening from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

How to get a kit

There are now two ways to access a kit:

Through the mail

Kits are mailed directly to eligible people by the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, to the address they have listed with Medicare.

• Medicare provides a list of people who are aged 50 to 74, so that a kit can be mailed out to them.
• First time screeners will get a kit within 6 months of their 50th birthday.
• Those who don’t do the test will be invited again around their birthday two years later.  Those who do the test and get a negative result will be invited again two years from the date of their previous test result.

What to do if you haven’t been sent a kit: If you are eligible and have not received a kit, or the kit is damaged, lost or expired, call the National Cancer Screening Register on 1800 627 701 or use the online order form.

 

Through a participating healthcare provider (via the Alternative Access Model)

Healthcare providers (primarily GPs) can now give kits directly to eligible people during an appointment.

• Some healthcare providers can now issue kits to their eligible patients during an appointment. This is in addition to the mail out method.
• Speak to your healthcare provider about whether they provide this service.