Cancer Screening

A delicate question for those of you of a certain age!
My mum has just had a positive stool test for colon/bowel cancer and will be having a virtual colonscopy at the end of the week, but she tells me that this was the first ever test she has had. Given that she is in her mid eighties and her brother died from bowel cancer in his early fifties, this surprised me. Is routine colorectal testing normal under the NHS or has she slipped though the net, somehow? 
We're crossing our fingers that the result is a false positive or the presence of blood has another cause. 
(My Dad died from prostate cancer that was misdiagnosed several times over a nine month period before he was finally tested, by which time it was far too late, so I'm a little sensitive!!)

I believe all persons over 60 are invited to be screened every two years....mine arrive around Christmas time.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/

Hoping its a false positive for your Mum, PP, x

The thing that bugs me - being of an even more certain age is that over 74s, are no longer eligible for screening - unless you ask for it. Same with other screening. Its like you're written off at 74 and not worth the effort/expense of screening.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer-screening/

Says NHS offer persons between 60 and 74 the screening kit every 2 yrs. P who is 77 has requested to be kept on the list for screening which they accepted. Both P and I have had the routine e tests through and are very aware of the risk. My best friend's husband refused to do his test (because it was mucky) and ended up with bowel cancer and secondary liver cancer. This was 6 or 7 years ago and he is fine, much to everyone's surprise. Here's hoping it's a false positive PP, maybe mum slipped through the net being older than 74.

Thanks for your input, everyone. Having also spoken to MrPP's olds it would appear they may all have already been too old when the screening was introduced. She did have a very poor GP surgery, the one that missed Dad's diagnosis, and one that was put on special measures and was then closed. So I guess the question of family history was never raised.
Oh well. We'll see what Friday brings.
Here, we're screened every other year from 50 but also only to 74. Maybe that's the age when it's felt that treatment is too agressive or less effective?

Hope all goes well for your Mum PP, similar screening here in Ireland to the nhs system

Hope all goes well for your mum PP.
Here in Scotland screening starts at 50 ends at 74 unless you ask to be kept on the list.

My husband has just received his first screening kit at 56.

As I understand it the routine bowel cancer stool sample test programme started in 2006 in England with the view to have it fully rolled out by 2009. If memory serves when they first sent the packs out they were only sent to 60-69 age group. Also approximately 50% of packs sent out were returned for testing.
My understanding is that more recently the screening programme was extended up to 74 in England.
I hope this information is helpful and that further investigations and any necessary treatment go on to be successful PP.

Thanks all
From your info Jimny it looks as though Mum (and the in-laws) were already in their 70s by 2009 so would not have been covered.