TIMELY DETECTION IS IMPORTANT
All men and women aged 50 to 74 automatically receive a letter of invitation from the Centre for Cancer Detection (CvKO). This consists of a letter of invitation, a participation form, a folder and a collection kit to take a sample of your stool yourself. The collection kit contains a test that detects blood in your stool that is invisible to the naked eye. Blood in your stool can indicate polyps or colon cancer.
To participate, you send a sample of your stool to the lab, along with the completed participation form (a postage stamp is not required). You will receive the result two weeks later.
You can read here how to take the sample or you can see this video:
Who will not be invited?
You will not be invited for the Colon Cancer Screening Programme if:
• you have been diagnosed with colon cancer in the past 10 years or are currently being treated for colon cancer;
• you have already taken a stool test in the past 2 years;
• you have had a colonoscopy in the past 10 years;
• you have had a virtual colonoscopy in the past 4 years;
• you are under 50 years old;
• you are over 74 years old.
If you are younger than 50 or older than 74 but still want to have a stool test performed, you can always do this through your GP. In this case, the test and the lab examination are not included in the Colon Cancer Screening Programme and are therefore not free of charge. You also pay the patient contribution for the consultation with the GP.
TIMELY DETECTION IS IMPORTANT