BowelScreen 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.
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.
BowelScreen Clinical Director Professor Pádraic Mac Mathúna, said that 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, 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.”
He added that 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.”
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the continued expansion of BowelScreen “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.”
