Bowel screening has had a noticeable effect on the number of cancer deaths in Scotland, a study shows.
Researchers at the Bowel Screening Research Centre in Dundee found that the number of bowel cancer deaths was 27 per cent lower among men who had taken part in screening than in men who had not.
The study, which was presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool, is the first to reveal the impact of population-based screening with the faecal occult blood test (FOBt).
The test kit is mailed to eligible people, who are then able to complete it at home and post it back to the lab for analysis.
Dr Jane Cope, director of the NCRI, said: 'These figures are evidence that the bowel cancer screening programme is helping to lower the number of deaths from the disease.
'It's expected that when all of the national screening programmes across the UK have been up and running for a couple of years, that similar results will be seen for the whole of the UK.'
Hazel Nunn, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, explained that the test can detect growths in the bowel before they develop into cancer or cause symptoms.
She advised: 'It's really important to take up the opportunity to use the free bowel screening kit when it comes through your door.'