Home test will unlock lower bowel screening age

A home test rolling out nationwide will mean more New Zealanders can get faster assessment of bowel symptoms, while also helping free up specialist capacity needed to safely bring down the bowel screening age, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

Simple home test for people with bowel cancer symptoms (FIT for Symptomatic pathway)
Prioritises colonoscopies for those who need it most
Unlocks colonoscopy capacity, supporting further bowel screening age reductions

"The Government is committed to lowering the screening age as fast as we can to match Australia, because catching bowel cancer earlier saves lives. It's already come down from 60 to 58 nationwide, and from September it begins to drop to 56 – making more than 200,000 additional New Zealanders eligible for free screening over four years. 

“We will keep going, and this new test is a key part of delivering that."

The key to lowering the screening age quickly is ensuring colonoscopy capacity can keep up.

“Every time the age is lowered, more people become eligible, more results need follow-up, and more colonoscopies are required. Colonoscopies are the hardest part of the system to scale – each one needs a trained specialist, theatre time, and equipment.

“To keep lowering the age, capacity has to be built at every step of the pathway, and we’re doing that in two ways.

“The first is direct investment in more diagnostic capacity, including additional colonoscopies, so more patients can be seen sooner.

"The second is better use of existing capacity – and that's where the new test, rolling out nationwide from today, comes in. It helps identify who needs a colonoscopy, so we can prioritise those patients and keep reducing waiting times."

Known officially as the FIT (faecal immunochemical test) for symptomatic pathway, the simple home test checks a stool sample for hidden traces of blood, an early warning sign of bowel cancer.

It is the same physical test already used in the screening programme and works in exactly the same way. The difference is that, because these patients already have symptoms, it is set to be more sensitive – flagging a positive result at lower levels of blood. This means people with symptoms can be assessed quickly to determine whether they have a high risk of a serious bowel condition.

"Until now, many patients with bowel cancer symptoms have been referred for a colonoscopy, meaning they go on a wait list. This simple home test changes that, giving fast, reliable results within a few days of being returned, which helps clinicians prioritise care. Patients who need urgent investigation can be seen for a colonoscopy sooner.”

Under the pathway, most patients referred by their GP to hospital with bowel cancer symptoms will be offered the test first. It is available to people aged 18 and over. Those with a positive result will be prioritised for a colonoscopy or an alternative bowel investigation.

Health New Zealand expects the test to reduce colonoscopy referrals for people with bowel cancer symptoms by up to 30 per cent.

"That's a significant amount of specialist capacity freed up, allowing people who need a colonoscopy to be seen faster, and reducing wait times. That freed-up capacity is what allows us to keep safely lowering the screening age."

Mr Brown is encouraging New Zealanders to remain aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.

"If something doesn't feel right, don't wait. See your GP. Finding bowel cancer early gives people the best possible chance of successful treatment, and that's exactly what this test is designed to support." ...