Bowel
cancer
screening

6 in every 100 people in the Netherlands are diagnosed with bowel cancer. Most people with bowel cancer are aged 55 or older. The health screening enables bowel cancer to be detected and treated at an early stage. In the long term this can help prevent 2,400 of the 7,000 bowel cancer-related deaths that occur every year. The bowel cancer screening organisation is for all men and women aged 55 to 75 years. Every two years, they will receive a stool test (FIT), which can be carried out at home. Participation in the health screening is voluntary. A person’s date of birth determines the year in which they receive the invitation. In 2019 we invited men and women born in the following years 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964. The details of the women and men to be invited are obtained from the Personal Records Database.