A bowel screening letter starts a process that continues at home, with the sample then returned to your health centre. The Valencian programme aims to find lesions early; Sanitat recommends the screening test every two years.
First invitation or repeat round
Under Sanitat’s published procedure, the first letter includes information and a prepaid acceptance card. Once you accept, the sampling material is sent out. Previous participants who remain in the programme receive their kit directly in later rounds. If yours has not arrived, ask your health centre before using material obtained elsewhere.
The tube and envelope carry identifiers linked to your SIP health number. Follow the enclosed instructions: the immunochemical test requires one sample and no dietary restrictions. Return it to the designated collection box at your health centre, which sends it to the laboratory.
What happens after the test
Sanitat sends negative results and requests for a repeat after technical errors by letter. New material is supplied for a repeat. A positive result is explained by your family doctor, who discusses a confirmatory colonoscopy: finding blood does not itself diagnose cancer.
Check eligibility as the age range expands
The national service was extended to age 74 in 2026, with a phased rollout. This does not establish that every age is already being invited in every Valencian health department. If you are 70–74, check your inclusion with your local programme.
Screening does not replace assessment of symptoms or follow-up for family risk. After a colonoscopy, the next step depends on its findings: do not assume another kit will arrive two years later. Keep the programme’s correspondence and ask for clarification of any instructions you do not understand.