An information pack and home test kit will now be sent out to more than 95,000 men and women in the Highlands aged between 50 and 74 years of age - the most at-risk group.

The programme has been implemented in phases across Scotland, with pilot schemes in Tayside, Grampian and Fife already proving a success..

People will be invited to take part in the screeing test every two years and it is estimated that the programme could reduce death from bowel cancer by approximately 15 per cent.

The screening test looks for hidden blood in bowel motions which may suggest a higher chance of bowel cancer - cancer of the colon and the rectum.

It is the third most common cancer in both men and women, with approximately 3500 people per year diagnosed with the condition across Scotland.

"These figures highlight the importance of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme," explained Jim Docherty, consultant colorectal surgeon and clinical lead for bowel screening in NHS Highland.

"It is important to highlight that if someone receives a positive screening test result, signifying that blood was detected in the samples tested, that this does not mean they have bowel cancer..

"Approximately 90 per cent of people testing positive will not have the condition. However, people with a positive test result will be contacted by a health professional so that this can be looked into, enabling those with bowel cancer to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, improving the chances of treatment being successful." The pack includes step-by-step instructions on how to use the self-test kit, which requires the person to take three trips to the toilet to test different bowel movements..

The tests are sent out from the Kings Cross Hospital in Dundee where results are collected, processed and then letters will be sent to patients informing them of whether the result was positive or negative.

If the result is positive then health professionals will explain the treatment process to the patient and from that a colonoscopy, an assessment of the large intestine, may be carried out in hospital and further treatment may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and an operation to remove the cancerous growth.

More information can be found at http://www.bowelscreening.scot.nhs.uk

Consultant surgeon Jim Docherty and cancer survivor Ann McDonald at the launch of the new bowel cancer screening programme Picture Bobby Nelson

Symptoms of bowel cancer: l Repeated bleeding from the bottom or blood in bowel motions.

l A recent change in bowel habit that continues every day for over six weeks without going back to normal.

l Looser motions or alternating with constipation.

l Severe or continual pains in the stomach which have started recently, especially after eating.

l Recent unintentional weight loss.

l Being found to be anaemic or looking pale and feeling tired most of the time.

These symptoms can be caused by several conditions, but people who have any of them should contact their GP, even if they have already been screened. BALLOCH woman Ann McDonald knows just how important the test is, having been diagnosed with bowel cancer in September 2007.

She had attended an appointment with her GP about another health issue when she mentioned that she had been passing blood in her stools.

The doctor immediately carried out a bowel screening test, which showed positive for cancer and Mrs McDonald, of Wellside Lane, was referred to Raigmore for treatment.

The 59-year-old had surgery just three weeks after the test and because the cancer was at an early stage the surgeon was able to remove the whole of the cancerous growth..

She was in hospital for 10 days and spent weeks recovering.

"I felt like cancer doesn't happen to me, it always happens to someone else," said Mrs McDonald, who is president of the Highland Battalion of the Boys' Brigade. "I think I lived in a bubble until I had the surgery and I don't think I realised how serious it could have been. I think the bowel screening programme is fantastic because you might feel perfectly healthy like me, but you could still have cancer. If something is there then it will be detected, so it's very important that you take the test and also keep an eye on what you're excreting too." Mrs McDonald is now free from bowel cancer, but still receives checks every six months.

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