The screening kits are designed to be used at home and returned by post to Bowel Screening Wales, which is running the programme and will processing the samples.
Men and women between 60 and 69 years old will receive the kits and a national advertising campaign is being launched to support the programme.
Dr Hilary Fielder, director of Bowel Screening Wales, said the programme aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms. ‘This is when treatment is more likely to be effective. It is also an effective way of preventing the development of cancer in many people’.
Dr Fielder also stressed the importance of the programme including men as well as women. ‘We know that men often find it difficult to take care of their health. Some find the subject – and bowel cancer, in particular – embarrassing. To make bowel screening a success we need to make sure people don’t die of embarrassment.’
tom.moberly@haymarket.com
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Wales launches postal bowel-screening kits
Bowel-screening kits are to be sent to 176,000 men and women as part of a Wales-wide screening programme.
