Screening cuts bowel cancer deaths by 27%

ROUTINE screening can cut bowel cancer deaths by more than a quarter, new research has shown.

A Scottish study found that death rates were 27% lower among people who participated in a bowel screening programme.

Bowel cancer screening involves posting small stool samples to a laboratory where they are tested for hidden traces of blood. The technique is known as the faecal occult blood test (FOBt).