This is a difficult question to answer for the individual.

Just last month a man in his 40s was seeing his GP for a skin problem when the GP suggested that he take the test. The faecal occult blood test came back positive – in fact, positive on all specimen. He was then referred for a colonoscopy.

On colonoscopy, a bowel cancer in the caecum was found.

He subsequently underwent a bowel resection.  The pathology showed that is was a fairly advanced cancer – with lymph glands involved. Further scans suggest the possibility of spread to the liver already..