The Health and Social Care Portfolio will deliver a bowel cancer screening programme for adults aged 50 to 74 this November and December, ahead of a visiting specialist’s arrival in January 2027.
Collect your test kit from your nearest health clinic from November.
Why screening matters
Bowel cancer (also known as colorectal cancer) is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel. It is the third most common cancer worldwide, and in the UK it is the second largest cause of cancer deaths. Several people are diagnosed in St Helena every year.
Screening looks for early signs of disease in people with no symptoms. It aims to find bowel cancer early, when treatment has a good chance of curing it. If it is detected early, more than 9 in 10 people are successfully treated.
How it works
The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) detects tiny amounts of blood in your poo, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer. The test is done at home. If your result is positive, you will be invited to an appointment to discuss next steps. A positive test does not mean you have cancer, but you will likely be offered a colonoscopy to check inside your bowel.
Who should take part
Everyone aged 50 to 74, in line with UK recommendations, as the risk of bowel cancer increases with age.
Collecting a kit
From November, 500 test kits will be available from your nearest health clinic during routine clinic hours. Each kit includes everything you need to collect and return your sample. For more information, see our Bowel Cancer Screening FAQ sheet.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Health Promotion team on Tel: 25949 or healthpromotion@sainthelena.gov.sh.
When to see a doctor
If you have symptoms, do not wait for screening. See a doctor urgently. Symptoms include:
- Changes in bowel habits (softer poo, diarrhoea, constipation, or going more or less often)
- Blood in your poo, red or black
- Feeling you need to poo even after going
- Tummy pain, bloating or a lump
- Unexplained weight loss
See your GP if symptoms last more than three weeks. Ask for an urgent appointment if your poo is black or dark red, or you have bloody diarrhoea. Call 999 or go to the Emergency Department if you are bleeding non-stop or losing a lot of blood (e.g. the toilet water turns red, or you see large clots).
Reducing your risk
You can’t always prevent bowel cancer, but you can lower your risk by eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, and eating less red and processed meat.
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