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Screening Test Results

Results

You should receive a results letter from the laboratory within two weeks of sending in your sample. There are three types of results you could receive.

Normal result

This means that blood was not found in your test sample. Most people (about 98 out of 100) will receive a normal result. A small number of these people will have repeated the test due to an unclear result.

A normal result does not guarantee that you do not have or will never develop bowel cancer in the future, so being aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer is very important. You will be offered bowel cancer screening again in two years.

Unclear result

This means there was a slight suggestion of blood in your FOB test sample. This could have been caused by conditions such as haemorrhoids (piles) or stomach ulcers.

Receiving an unclear result does not mean you have cancer, just that you need to repeat the FOB test.

If you receive an unclear result, you will be asked to complete the FOB test up to two more times. This is necessary because polyps and cancers do not bleed all the time and it is important to find out whether or not there is blood in your stools. About four people out of every 100 will receive an unclear result. Most people who repeat the test will then receive a normal result.

Abnormal result

This shows that blood may have been found in your FOB test sample – it is not a diagnosis of bowel cancer, but it does mean that you will be offered a colonoscopy.

The abnormal result may have been caused by bleeding from bowel polyps, rather than a bowel cancer. It may also have been caused by other conditions, such as haemorrhoids (piles).

If you receive an abnormal result, you will be offered an appointment with a specialist nurse at a screening centre local to you. This is to discuss having a more detailed examination of your bowel (a colonoscopy), to see whether or not there is a problem that may need treatment. About two in every 100 people doing the test will have an abnormal result.