Bowel cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the under 50s in New Zealand. It is also one of the most treatable forms of cancer,  in fact 90% of bowel cancer cases that are caught early are completely curable, compared to the only 14% of patients that will survive for 5 years if caught late. This highlights how important early detection of bowel cancer is.

Currently in NZ the public bowel cancer screening program offers FIT testing (Faecal immunochemical tests) every 2 years for those aged 58-74. This is in contrast to other developed countries like Australia that offers screening to a wider age range – currently aged 45 and above. Private at home FIT testing is also available for people outside this age range.

True Proactive aims to narrow the gap of healthcare inequality for kiwis when compared to our neighbors ‘accross the ditch’ and offer the ability to buy private bower cancer screening via FIT test to those outside the ages of 58-74, because we know that bowel cancer doesn’t care what age you are!

Bowel cancer usually develops slowly over many years, often beginning as small, harmless polyps that can gradually grow and become cancerous. By the time symptoms appear, the disease may already be at a more advanced stage. This is why screening with a lab processed FIT test can detect early signs of disease before symptoms appear.

Bowel cancer screening is designed to detect early signs of disease before symptoms develop, allowing cancers to be found earlier when treatment is more effective and outcomes are significantly better.

Private bowel screening may be appropriate if you:

• Are aged 45–59 and not eligible for the public program, or over 74 and not covered by the public program
• Are under 60 with a family history of bowel cancer
• Between the ages of 58-74 and want annual screening rather than 2 yearly screening
• Prefer a lab processed FIT test rather than pharmacy FOB tests, FIT tests are more accurate
• Want to take an evidence based proactive step to increase your chance of picking up bowel cancer earlier

True Proactive uses a lab processed FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test):

• Same technology used in national screening programme
• Not affected by diet or medications
• Detects human haemoglobin in stool, one of the first detectable changes with bowel cancer or polyps
• Processed by an accredited New Zealand laboratory

This is NOT a pharmacy FOB test. FOB tests are outdated, unreliable and cause lots of false positives, FIT tests are more accurate and reliable.

The national bowel screening programme is a government funded service that sends out FIT tests (Bowel cancer tests) every 2 years to NZ residents, it covers from ages 58-74 currently. Outside these ages if you want bowel caner screening you will be best to use True Proactive as the government wouldn’t fund your screening. 

Click here for more information on the National bowel screening programme.

Buying and using a FIT test to screen for bowel cancer is extremely simple.

1. Purchase a FIT test kit from trueproactive.co.nz
2. Your kit will arrive in the post within 48 hours
3. Our bowel cancer test kit comes with easy to follow instructions, collect your stool sample at home.
4. Return to our partner lab with prepaid courier bag.
5. We will contact you with the results within the next few working days.
6. if your result is positive a doctor will phone you and you will receive a personalised handover letter, signed by one of our doctors that you can take to your GP.

If your test result is positive, one of the True Proactive doctors will contact you to discuss the next steps. It is important to remember that a positive FIT result does not mean you have bowel cancer. It simply indicates that small amounts of blood have been detected in your stool and that further tests are needed to identify the cause.

Following your consultation, we will send you a personalised email, signed by one of our doctors, summarising your result and outlining the recommended next steps. Your test is analysed using the OC Sensor platform — the same highly sensitive FIT analyser used by the New Zealand National Bowel Screening Programme.

If you have received a positive result you should book an appointment with your GP to discuss your next steps, it helps to bring the results email from True Proactive

Any further investigations will need to be arranged by your usual GP, as True Proactive is not able to provide ongoing clinical care or directly refer for additional tests. After reviewing your result, your GP may recommend further investigations such as blood tests and, where appropriate, a colonoscopy.

In New Zealand, access to colonoscopy is generally straightforward through private providers. In the public system, resources are more limited and referrals are prioritised based on clinical criteria. This means that a positive FIT result does not automatically guarantee a publicly funded colonoscopy, and in some cases patients may need to consider private options.

The chance that a positive FIT represents bowel cancer (the positive predictive value) depends on age, sex, and how high the FIT level is, but large screening datasets show consistent patterns:

• Age 40–49: ~2–4% of people with a positive FIT will have bowel cancer
• Age 50–59: ~4–7%
• Age 60–69: ~7–10%
• Age 70+: ~10–15%

FIT tests are very good at reassuring people when the result is negative:

• Sensitivity for bowel cancer: ~75–85% for a single test (higher with repeat annual testing)
• Negative predictive value: >99% — meaning that fewer than 1 in 1,000 people with a negative FIT will have bowel cancer at that time
• For advanced bowel cancer, sensitivity is even higher, often >90%

This means a negative FIT makes bowel cancer very unlikely, although no screening test can reduce the risk to zero.