In most cases, bowel cancer develops slowly, over many years, from benign precursors: polyps. That is exactly what makes screening so effective. If polyps are removed in time, the disease is prevented before it starts.
From what age?
For people without particular risk factors, bowel cancer screening is usually recommended from the age of 50. Some professional bodies now advise starting at 45, as bowel cancer is increasing in younger people.
Who should start earlier?
- If a parent, sibling or child has had bowel cancer or polyps
- With long-standing inflammatory bowel disease
- With known hereditary syndromes, such as Lynch syndrome
- If you have already had polyps removed
In these cases we set the start and interval of screening individually, often ten years before the age at which the relative was diagnosed.
Colonoscopy or stool test?
Colonoscopy is the gold standard: it reliably detects polyps and removes them in the same examination. If the findings are normal, the next check is usually not needed for ten years.
The immunological stool test (FIT) is an alternative for people without increased risk. It is simple, but must be repeated every one to two years and detects only some polyps. A positive result is always followed by a colonoscopy.
What many people don't know
A screening colonoscopy is done with sedation. Most patients sleep and notice nothing of the examination. The most demanding part is the bowel preparation the day before, and that is very manageable.
If you are unsure whether and when screening makes sense for you, we can clarify it in a short conversation in the consultation.