A new campaign from the NHS is urging people who have been sent a bowel cancer home testing kit to use and return it.

The kit can help spot the condition early and those who use it are nine times more likely to survive.

However, new figures show a record 70% of people are willing to be screened for the disease but 30% of those given a test kit are not returning it.

The NHS advert shows a man joyfully running around his house with toilet roll before completing the test, which highlights how easy and quick it is to do.

The ad ends by saying: “Put it by the loo. Don’t put it off.”

How many free bowel cancer testing kits are sent out by the NHS?

On average the NHS sends out more than half a million Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kits for people to use at home.

It detects small amounts of blood in poo that would not be visible before people notice anything is wrong.

At the moment people aged 60 to 74 years who are registered with a GP practice and live in England are automatically sent a FIT kit every two years, and this age is planned to be lowered to 50 by 2025.

National clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said: “Thousands of people in England develop bowel cancer each year, but the chances of surviving it are very good when it is caught early.

The Argus: Not enough people are returning FIT kits to have their results analysed, the NHS sayNot enough people are returning FIT kits to have their results analysed, the NHS say (Image: PA)

“I would urge everyone who is sent a kit to return their test as quickly as they can… don’t die of embarrassment.”

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, but we know that screening increases the chances of early diagnosis which can prevent deaths from this devastating disease.

“With the launch of the NHS’s first national campaign on bowel cancer screening, more people will be encouraged to use the home testing kit when they receive it.

“Screening makes it more likely that bowel cancer will be successfully detected and treated.”

People worried they may have missed their invitation or have lost or thrown away their kit can call the free bowel cancer screening helpline for advice at 0800 707 60 60.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

According to the NHS website, 90% of people with bowel cancer have one of the following combinations of symptoms:

  • a persistent change in bowel habit – pooing more often, with looser, runnier poos and sometimes tummy (abdominal) pain
  • blood in the poo without other symptoms of piles (haemorrhoids) – this makes it unlikely the cause is haemorrhoids
  • abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating – sometimes resulting in a reduction in the amount of food eaten and weight loss

The NHS clarifies that the symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and do not necessarily make you feel ill.

They recommend seeing a GP if you have any of the symptoms of bowel cancer for three weeks or more.