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" Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and the second leading cause of cancer death, with more than 16,000 people dying from it every year.  Around one in 20 people in the UK will develop bowel cancer during their lifetime and so anything that can be done to reduce this is to be encouraged.  Regular bowel cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by 16% and the faecal occult blood (FOB) test is one of these tests.  If bowel cancer is detected before symptoms appear, it is easier to treat and there is a better chance of surviving the disease.  Who is at risk of developing bowel cancer? Both men and women are at risk of developing bowel cancer, but the risk increases with:   Age. 80% of people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer are over 60.  A family history of the disease An unhealthy lifestyle - people who are unfit or overweight and people who have a diet high in red meat and low in fruit, fibre and vegetables are also at an increased risk of developing bowel cancer.   What is the FOB test? This is part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England, which began in 2006.  Men and women aged 60-69 who are registered with a GP are now automatically sent an invitation for screening through the post (this is being extended to people aged 70 \u2013 75 in England).  The invitation consists of a home testing kit, called an FOB (faecal occult blood test) kit.  Tiny samples of stool (motions, or poo) are collected on a special card and this card is then sealed in a special hygienic freepost envelope and sent to a laboratory where it will be checked for traces of blood.  Results are received in writing, usually within two weeks of sending in the test kit and there are three results:    Normal. No blood has been found in the samples and screening is offered again routinely in a further two years&amp;#039; time.  Unclear. In this case, possible traces of blood have been detected that could be caused by factors other than cancer, such as haemorrhoids (piles) or stomach ulcers. If you have an unclear result, you will be asked to repeat the test kit up to twice more.  Abnormal. Here, blood has definitely been found in the samples and although this can be from harmless causes such as piles or bowel polyps, this test result means you will be offered an appointment with a specialist nurse. At this appointment you will discuss having an examination of the bowel, called a colonoscopy.   Colonoscopy During a colonoscopy, a thin flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end called a colonoscope is passed into your bottom and guided around the bowel.  Only around 2 in every 100 people completing the FOB kit will have an abnormal result and will be offered a colonoscopy.  Of those who have a colonoscopy, only about one in 10 will have cancer.  Additional screening The NHS is also rolling out an additional screening test from 2016, which will involve inviting people aged 55 to have a one-off flexible sigmoidoscopy test to examine the lower bowel with a camera, similar to that used in a colonoscopy.  If this flexible sigmoidoscopy shows that polyps are present then the person will then be offered a full colonoscopy.  &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Other people also read: Bowel cancer: No cancers are fully understood, but bowel cancer is better understood than most.  Polyps in the colon (large bowel): A polyp is a general name for a benign warty growth of the lining of any organ.  Last updated 13.02.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/procedures/examinations/a10290/faecal-occult-blood-fob-test/>