A FLIXTON grandmother was shocked to discover she had bowel cancer after taking a test that arrived in the post – as her husband battled through chemotherapy.

Janis Thain, 61, was diagnosed with bowel cancer last year after completing the routine kit which arrived in the post.

As Janis had recently turned 60 at the time, it was the first time she had received the kit.

The grandmother-of-two, who has two sons, was asked to repeat the test as the initial result was unclear. It came back as abnormal and a tumour was found.

Janis, her family and friends were all shocked by the cancer diagnosis as she was feeling fit and well at the time and had no symptoms.

The diagnosis came at a difficult time as Janis’ husband, John, was going through chemotherapy for cancer.

Fortunately, Janis’s cancer had not spread and she did not need further treatment following surgery.

The retired school science technician said: “I had no symptoms when I received the bowel cancer screening test and never dreamt there would be anything wrong with me because I felt so fit and well at the time.

“I feel very fortunate that the cancer had not spread and just a few months after the operation I was back in the gym and getting on with my life.

“Had I not used the test kit then it might have been a different story further down the line and possibly facing chemotherapy or radiotherapy which would have been so difficult when my husband was already undergoing treatment for cancer.

“So please don’t ignore the kit when it arrives – take the test.”

Every year, 2000 people aged 60 – 74 are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the North West and 600 people of the same age in the region will die from the disease.

People aged 60-74 who are registered with a GP will receive an NHS bowel cancer screening kit through the post, every two years.

Bowel cancer screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from bowel cancer by 16 per cent. When bowel cancer is diagnosed at the earliest stage, more than nine in 10 people will survive the disease for more than five years.

Fiona Osgun, senior health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Some people don’t return the test kit because they don’t think they need to take part if they’re not feeling ill. But screening is designed to detect bowel cancer before any symptoms develop. The kit comes with clear step-by-step instructions and tips for collecting your poo.

“Even if the kit does show something out of the ordinary, it doesn’t mean it will turn out to be cancer. But if it is cancer, catching it at an early stage means it is easier to treat successfully.”

For more information visit cruk.org.uk/beclearoncancer or ring the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Helpline on 0800 707 60 60.