Thursday, July 9, 2026
Science

The untapped potential of bowel cancer samples to boost understanding of other diseases

About half a million samples are collected from over-50s in Scotland each year in a highly successful NHS program that significantly boosts early cancer detection. But only a tiny amount of the sent-in poo—mixed with fluid—is needed to test for traces of blood, and the rest is discarded.

The untapped potential of bowel cancer samples to boost understanding of other diseases
Image: Phys.org
About half a million samples are collected from over-50s in Scotland each year in a highly successful NHS program that significantly boosts early cancer detection. But only a tiny amount of the sent-in poo—mixed with fluid—is needed to test for traces of blood, and the rest is discarded.

Originally published at Phys.org

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