A bowel cancer screening pilot programme costing $24 million will be run over the next four years, health minister Tony Ryall said in a 5 May 2010 pre-budget announcement. The pilot programme aims to screen at least 60,000 New Zealanders aged  50 to 74 years. Screening will use the immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT); these kits can be delivered by mail and the stool sample returned to the laboratory by mail by the patient. The aim is people in the age group repeat the test every two years. Bowel cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in New Zealand, and the second highest cause of cancer death. However, when caught early and treated, five-year survival prospects are 95%, and after five years the person has the same risks as a person who never had bowel cancer. Men and women whose iFOBT shows traces of blood (invisible to the eye) will be offered further investigation using colonoscopy or other techniques to determine the cause. Blood in the faeces can result from a number causes, including cancer, pre-cancerous polyps and peptic ulcer. After the four year pilot, a full evaluation will determine whether the programme is rolled out nationally.