All 50-74-year-olds in England will now receive a home-testing kit for bowel cancer every two years.
NHS England has been posting the faecal-immunochemical test (Fit) to all 54-74-year-olds since 2021 and anyone older can request one over the phone.
But after trials of local screening programmes for 50-year-olds, the age is now being lowered, bringing it in line with Scotland and Wales.
And more than 850,000 extra people in England will now be able to return a stool sample to be checked for blood.
Northamptonshire’s youngest patient diagnosed through the screening programme, Steven Ball, 54, submitted a positive sample last May.
A colonoscopy at his local hospital detected a small lesion, found to be early-stage cancer.
Keyhole surgery removed it, in July, and Mr Ball is now unlikely to need further treatment.
“My cancer was so small it didn’t show up on a CT scan and it was caught at a very early stage and removed, which is the best thing that can happen, he told BBC News.
“It shows how important it is to do your stool test when it comes through the post and to get yourself checked out so you have peace of mind.”
One out of every 50 of those who return samples needs further testing, which can include a scan, the NHS says
But less than 60% of 54-57-year-olds return their Fit kits, compared with more than 70% of 60-74-year-olds.
Cancer Research UK says more than 120 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer – the fourth most common type – each day in the UK, more than 11% of all new cancer cases.
NHS England national clinical director for cancer Prof Peter Johnson urged people not to “feel embarrassed about poo”, encouraging all those eligible to use the “quick and simple” Fit kit.
“What we do know is that the chances of surviving it are very good when it is caught early,” he added.
Bowel Cancer UK’s research director Dr Lisa Wilde said: “Screening is one of the best ways to spot bowel cancer at an early stage – when it is treatable and curable.
“In fact, more than nine in 10 people survive bowel cancer when it’s diagnosed at the earliest stage.”
