Category Archives: Bowel cancer

Survival rates in UK for two lethal cancers lower than in comparable countries, research shows

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Experts say UK ‘lags behind’ as OECD finds poor outcomes for many diagnosed with colon and lung cancers

People in the UK who are diagnosed with the two most lethal forms of cancer die sooner than those in many other comparable countries, a new study has found.

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed the UK ranked a lowly 31st out of 43 countries for how many people survive at least five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

UK spending on cancer will rise from £14.4bn to more than £23bn by 2050 because the ageing population will lead to more people being diagnosed.

Cancer will cause one in four deaths of people under the age of 75 between now and 2050.

170,000 people at any one time cannot work because they have cancer.

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UK supermarkets using multibuy deals to encourage sales of meat, study finds

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Exclusive: about one in five offers involve meat and dairy and one in ten processed meat despite known health risks

Supermarkets are using multibuy promotional deals to encourage shoppers to buy meat and processed meat, despite the products being linked to a heightened risk of cancer, research reveals.

Almost one in five (18%) of multibuy offers in major British supermarkets involve meat and dairy products, and one in ten (11%) processed meat such as ham, bacon and sausages.

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Speaker at Labour manifesto launch is cancer-free after terminal diagnosis

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Music teacher Nathaniel Dye, 38, who had spoken about delays for treatment, gave update on Tuesday

A man who had a terminal cancer diagnosis, and who described Labour as “the party of hope for a brighter future I won’t live to see” at the party’s manifesto launch, is now cancer-free.

Nathaniel Dye, a 38-year-old music teacher, was diagnosed with stage four incurable bowel cancer in October 2022, and tumours were understood to have spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes.

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Adapted NHS bowel cancer test developed for blind and partly sighted people

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Accessible screening tool piloted by NHS England includes braille instructions and a better guide for stool sample

Thousands of blind or partly sighted people could find it easier to participate in bowel cancer screening from home owing to a new NHS tool aiding accessibility.

The standard test used to screen for bowel cancer requires an at-home stool sample in a tube, which is sent off and examined for any possible cancer signs.

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Coffee drinkers have much lower risk of bowel cancer recurrence, study finds

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Exclusive: Scientists say people with disease who drink two to four cups a day are less likely to see it return

People with bowel cancer who drink two to four cups of coffee a day are much less likely to see their disease come back, research has found.

People with the illness who consume that amount are also much less likely to die from any cause, the study shows, which suggests coffee helps those diagnosed with the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.

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UK researchers find way of diagnosing bowel cancer without biopsies

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PET scans can examine entire bowel before and during treatment, avoiding risks associated with taking tissue samples

Researchers in Glasgow have identified a new means of diagnosing and treating bowel cancer with imaging technology, avoiding the need for biopsies.

Biopsies require an invasive procedure with a number of health risks, such as infection, and are limited in what they can capture within a patient’s bowel.

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Nice calls for routine use of at-home faeces tests for bowel cancer screening

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Hopes guidance could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times for colonoscopies

At-home faeces tests could spare tens of thousands of people in England and Wales from having to undergo invasive procedures to rule out bowel cancer.

It is hoped the move could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times by reducing the need to refer people for a colonoscopy.

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Bowel cancer screening programme finds 20,000 cases in decade, study finds

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Tests have been available to people aged over 60 since 2006, and will be offered to those aged 50 and above from 2025

A new study has found that 20,000 cases of bowel cancer have been prevented by England’s screening programme in a decade, as over-50s are set to be offered tests from 2025.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. By 2040 there will be 3.2 million new cases per year and 1.6 million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization. In the UK, nearly 43,000 patients are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year.

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Expert says overdiagnosis means Australian cancer screening tests must be ‘handled very carefully’

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UK surgeon told the Public Health Association of Australia’s Cancer Screening Symposium screening is a ‘double-edged sword’

The UK surgeon whose work led to the introduction of bowel cancer screening tests has warned the practice has potential to be a “dangerous tool”.

In his keynote address to the Public Health Association of Australia’s Cancer Screening Symposium, Prof Robert Steele called for greater public awareness that screening is a “double-edged sword”.

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Bowel cancer patients could be spared radiotherapy, US study suggests

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Doctors found some patients could rely on chemotherapy and surgery alone to treat the disease

Thousands of bowel cancer patients could be spared radiotherapy, a study suggests, after doctors discovered they could rely on chemotherapy and surgery alone to treat their disease.

Radiotherapy has been used to treat bowel cancer patients for decades, but the side-effects can be brutal. It can cause problems that negatively affect quality of life, including infertility, the need for a temporary colostomy, diarrhoea, cramping and bladder problems.

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Plant-based diet can cut bowel cancer risk in men by 22%, says study

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Researchers find no such link for women, suggesting connection between diet and bowel cancer is clearer for men

Eating a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes can reduce the risk of bowel cancer in men by more than a fifth, according to research.

A large study that involved 79,952 US-based men found that those who ate the largest amounts of healthy plant-based foods had a 22% lower risk of bowel cancer compared with those who ate the least.

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Deborah James cancer podcast You, Me and the Big C wins top award

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Champion prize at the British Podcast Awards given to series co-hosted by bowel cancer campaigner who died in June

Dame Deborah James’ podcast You, Me and the Big C, has been honoured at the British Podcast Awards winning the champion prize.

James, who hosted the podcast alongside Rachael Bland and Lauren Mahon, died last month aged 40 after receiving end of life care for bowel cancer at home. Bland died in September 2018 aged 40, nearly two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

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Deborah James legacy: huge rise in online checks for bowel cancer signs

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NHS chief says James’s last message to public to ‘check your poo’ is life-saving

There was a tenfold increase in people checking bowel cancer symptoms online immediately after the death of Dame Deborah James, the NHS has said.

More than 23,000 visits were paid to NHS websites for bowel cancer on Wednesday, compared with 2,000 the previous day.

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Deborah James describes anger and fear over dying of bowel cancer

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Campaigner says death is ‘life’s last taboo’ and that she hopes talking about may bring comfort to others

Deborah James has said she is angry at the fact she is terminally ill, and scared of dying.

The campaigner, 40, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and has documented her experiences since on social media, revealed that in the weeks since moving to end-of-life care she keeps “shouting at people and pushing them away”.

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Prince William presents damehood to Deborah James as cancer fundraiser raises £5m

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Duke of Cambridge makes personal visit after ‘Bowelbabe’ told supporters she was receiving end-of-life care for her condition

The Duke of Cambridge has presented podcast host Deborah James with a damehood at her family home after her Cancer Research fundraising initiative passed the £5m mark in just five days.

James, 40, known online as Bowelbabe after campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer, launched the JustGiving page on Monday after revealing she was receiving end-of-life care for the condition.

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Alcohol linked to more cancers than thought, study finds

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Imperial College London researchers also find that drinking coffee protects against liver cancer

Consuming alcohol increases the risk of getting more cancers than previously thought, according to a major study, which also found that drinking coffee protects against liver cancer.

Alcohol consumption is linked to several cancers including those of the head and neck – mouth, pharynx and larynx – oesophageal and bowel, along with the more widely known connection with breast and liver cancer, according to an international team led by Imperial College London.

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Even moderate intake of red meat raises cancer risk, study finds

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People more or less keeping to NHS guidelines at higher risk than those who eat little

Eating even the moderate amounts of red and processed meat sanctioned by government guidelines increases the likelihood of developing bowel cancer, according to the largest UK study of the risks ever conducted.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) suggests anyone who eats more than 90g of red or processed meat per day should try to cut down to 70g or less, because of the known link with bowel cancer. The NHS describes 90g of red meat as “equivalent to around three thinly cut slices of beef, lamb or pork, where each slice is about the size of half a piece of sliced bread”.

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