Bowel Cancer
  • Product Description
  • How it works
  • FAQs

Product Description

Bowel Cancer

Bowel cancer is rising in millennials - but the NHS won’t routinely screen until age 60+

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that across the UK and Europe cases of bowel cancer in 20 to 39 year olds rose by up to 7.9% per year. There are around 43,000 bowel cancer diagnoses in the UK each year and 16,800 deaths.


Deborah James was in her mid thirties when she first noticed blood in her stool.

"If only for once someone believed me earlier that I wasn't 'crying wolf' – when in my normal nervous GP 'question time' I tell the doctor I think I have bowel cancer – I'm actually laughed at – not once but three times over the course of six months!” she said in her own personal account of her bowel cancer diagnosis to Bowel Cancer UK.

"Fed up with waiting for a referral, I'm lucky I was able to take myself off privately to have a colonoscopy. Being so scared however, I made sure I went skiing, had finished the school term and bumped three appointments just because something was telling me this might change everything.”

"I was blind-sided at 7pm on Thursday 15 December 2016, when having refused the sedative and having researched what cancerous tumours would appear like in a colonoscopy (total hypochondriac geek alert!), I stared my ugly 5.5cm cancerous, ulcerated stage 3 tumour in the face and everything went silent.”

After sharing this story in 2017 shortly after her diagnosis, Dame Deborah James (bowelbabe) passed away on 28 June 2022 aged 40.

The Colon Cancer Coalition shares facts about colon cancer in young people under 50:

  • By 2030, colorectal cancer may be the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50.
  • While rates of colorectal cancer have been declining among adults 50 years and older, rates of colorectal cancer are increasing among adults under age 50.
  • People born after 1990 have 2 times the risk of developing colon cancer and 4 times the risk of developing rectal cancer than those born in 1950.
  • Younger adults were more likely than older adults to be diagnosed with late-stage colon or rectal cancers because they are under the recommended screening age.

What is a Bowel Cancer Test?

Our Bowel Cancer Test is designed to identify possible signs of bowel disease or cancer. This test can detect small amounts of blood in your faeces (poo) which you would not normally see or be aware of.

Why consider a Bowel Cancer Test?

If you have had signs of bleeding, you may wish to consider this test. Many bowel abnormalities, which may develop into cancer over time, are more likely to bleed than normal tissue. If there is blood in the stool, this can indicate the presence of abnormalities in the bowel. If cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatments are likely to be more effective.

How does this test work?

This test requires a stool sample. Once you have collected your sample, place it in the pre-paid envelope provided and send it to our accredited UK laboratory for fast and accurate analysis.

What tests will you run on my sample?

  • Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test (qFIT). This test will detect hidden or 'occult' blood in stool samples.

When will my test kit arrive?

If you place your order before 4 pm, Monday to Friday, your kit will be dispatched on the same day by first class post. If you would like a tracked service please select Special Delivery at checkout.

The results of your Bowel Cancer Test will be ready within just one working day after your sample has arrived at our certified UK laboratory. Your results will be accessible online in your secure patient area on our website. A member of our Patient Services team will also contact you when all of your results are ready.

What should I do with my results?

If your test is positive, you should see a doctor about the results. A positive result means you may have bleeding in your digestive tract, but it does not necessarily mean that you have cancer. Other conditions that may produce a positive result include ulcers, haemorrhoids, polyps and benign tumours. Further follow-up procedures may be necessary to find the source of the bleeding and ensure the success of treatment.

Better2Know can arrange private consultations throughout the UK with our network of skilled doctors.

How can I order my test?

To order your Bowel Cancer Test online now, select the ‘Add to Basket’ button and follow the steps. To speak to an advisor and purchase this test over the phone, please call Better2Know on the number above. A member of our dedicated Patient Services team will answer your questions and process your order.

Better2Know provides a wide range of health tests and screens throughout the UK. Our welcoming and experienced team are available 24/7 for your convenience.

How it works

How It Works

Buying your home test kits online is simple:

  • 1 Buy your test online.
  • 2 Receive it in the post.
  • 3 Provide a sample.
  • 4 Free return postage to the lab.
  • 5 Check your results securely online.

We provide a completely confidential and anonymous service. Please refer to our FAQs above, for more information. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, using the phone number at the top of the page.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will you send my kit to me?

If your order is placed before 4pm on a working day, then it will be sent the same day. Otherwise it will be sent on the next working day.

Q: Why do you need my email address?

Your Patient Services Manager, Louise Wright, will email you your login details to access your results, a confirmation your kit has been dispatched and finally when all your results are ready. We do not sell on or email you any other marketing materials, that is why we do not ask you to opt in or out of anything.

Q: Do I need to use my real name?

No, but the postman does need to know where to deliver the kit to. As long as you use a name that will get the kit to you, then we do not need your real name.

Q: What does the kit packaging look like?

It will arrive in plain white envelope with your typed name and address on it.

Q: What if I have any more questions?

You can email Louise by replying to one of the emails she has sent to you. She will do her best to answer them.