Bowel Doctor: bowel cancer

Showing posts with label bowel cancer. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

New bride dies after being told: You're too young to have that kind of cancer

DOCTORS shrugged off concerns and claimed her symptoms were just bad period pains.

A BRIDE died four weeks after her wedding – from a cancer she was told she was too young to have.

Laura Connolly, 31, had visited GPs a number of times over a two-year period, complaining of crippling stomach pain and bleeding.

But doctors shrugged off her concerns, claiming her symptoms were just bad period pains.

By the time Laura was finally diagnosed with bowel cancer last July, the disease had spread to her liver and lungs.

She wed her childhood sweetheart Alan last month and passed away exactly four weeks later.

Laura’s mum Lesley Shannon, 54, said her daughter would still be alive if her complaints had been properly investigated.

She added: “We will be burying our beautiful, precious daughter on Wednesday.

“She lost her brave and hard-fought battle against bowel cancer.

“Laura complained of various symptoms for a long period but her cancer went undiagnosed and when she finally had the colonoscopy, it was inoperable.”

Laura, of Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow, wed Alan at Glenskirlie House, near Banknock, Stirlingshire, on March 1.

Read More...

Smokers have worse colon cancer prognosis: study

Smokers are less likely to be alive and cancer-free three years after having surgery for colon cancer than people who have never smoked, according to a new study.

Out of about 2,000 people who had part of their colon surgically removed, researchers found 74 percent of those who had never smoked were cancer-free three years later, compared to 70 percent of smokers.

Amanda Phipps, the study's lead author from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said the results provide another reason why people should quit smoking.

"It's nice when you have findings that portray a consistent public health message," said Phipps.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), certain ingredients in cigarettes can dissolve into a person's saliva and cause colon and other cancers.

The ACS estimates about 102,500 Americans will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers in 2013, and over 40,000 will die from those diseases.

Phipps and her colleagues previously found smokers with colon cancer were more likely to die than non-smokers from any cause and specifically from their cancers. But the researchers wanted to take a closer look at what smoking meant for colon cancer recurrence.

Read More...

Monday, 20 May 2013

Mum of two raises awareness of bowel cancer in the under 50s

A HOLMER Green mum who was diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 45 has called for better diagnosis in younger patients and for people to be less embarrassed talking about their symptoms.

Rachel Bown, now 47, was unaware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and found it difficult to get a diagnosis from a doctor.

It wasn't until her third visit- almost a year later after she first experienced symptoms- that she was diagnosed by a locum doctor who questioned her thoroughly.

She received treatment and is now in remission.

A new report from Bowel Cancer UK has shown that Rachel is not the only one as it revealed a shocking picture of delayed diagnosis, failures in screening, feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as unmet support needs amongst younger bowel cancer patients.

Read more - http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/10346204.Mum_of_two_raises_awareness_of_bowel_cancer_in_the_under_50s/

Thursday, 16 May 2013

New type of bowel cancer discovered

Cancer Research UK Press Release

A unique sub-type of bowel cancer has been discovered which has a worse outcome than other types of colon cancer and is resistant to certain targeted treatments, according to research published today in Nature Medicine* (Sunday).

Researchers from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge and the Netherlands analysed tumours from 90 separate patients with stage II colon cancer and found that they could group the samples into three distinct sub-types.

They then developed a panel of 146 genes that could distinguish these sub-types, and confirmed their findings by analysing a further 1100 patients with the disease.

Two of these sub-types** were already known, but in more than a quarter of the patients a new kind of cancer was detected, which was previously not regarded as a separate sub-type***. These patients were more likely to do worse than those with the other types of bowel cancer. Furthermore, their tumours were more aggressive and resistant to the drug cetuximab, which can be used to treat the disease. Cetuximab targets a molecule called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), whose link to cancer was discovered by Cancer Research UK scientists in the 1980s.

Bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel. Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon cancer or rectal cancer.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in your stools (faeces), an unexplained change in your bowel habits, such as prolonged diarrhea or constipation, and unexplained weight loss.

Cancer can sometimes start in the small bowel (small intestine), but small bowel cancer is much rarer than large bowel cancer.

Who is affected by bowel cancer?

In England, bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer. In 2009, there were 41,142 new cases of bowel cancer registered in the UK:

18,431 cases were diagnosed in women, making it the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer
22,711 cases were diagnosed in men, making it the third most common cancer after prostate and lung cancer

Approximately 72% of bowel cancer cases develop in people who are 65 or over. Two-thirds of bowel cancers develop in the colon, with the remaining third developing in the rectum.

Monday, 13 May 2013

Bowel cancer is the BIGGER killer... but there is a test that could help to save lives

IF you were told that there was a screening test for a cancer that kills more people than breast cancer, would you take it? It's a fair bet that most people would, of course.

But such a test does exist - for bowel cancer, which is the UK's second-biggest killer - and little over half the population bothers to send it back.

Everyone in Britain who has recently turned 60 (or 50 in Scotland) gets a faecal occult blood (FOB) test through the post. It's vaguely unpleasant and slightly messy to do because it involves collecting a sample and wiping it on to a special card each day for three days, but it's not difficult and you don't have to go to a clinic - just post it back.

The test detects whether there is any blood in a bowel movement - one of the key indicators of bowel cancer, which affects about 41,000 people a year, making it the second most common cancer in women and the third in men.

If blood is detected, patients are called in for a colonoscopy to observe the bowel and spot any suspicious-looking growths. Most bowel cancers start off as little polyps, which can be easily removed before they have a chance to become cancerous.

How Moore's widow Stephanie is the driving force behind charity battling bowel cancer

Stephanie Moore has had 20 years to regret that her late husband Bobby had to wait four years to receive a bowel cancer diagnosis. Ultimately, it cost the former England captain his life.

Mrs Moore is now the driving force behind the ‘Bobby Moore Fund’, a charity that has raised nearly £19m and funded more than 50 research programmes in to the disease that killed her husband at the age of just 51.

This week she was in Manchester with England midfielder Michael Carrick, looking at some of the latest developments in to treatment at the acclaimed Paterson Institute for Cancer Research.

The Bobby Moore Fund is one of the three charity partners chosen this year by the England team through the England Footballers Foundation and Mrs Moore said: “It’s beyond value that the players do things like this for us.

'Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, after lung cancer.

'Recent stats show the incidence of bowel cancer in men has gone up by 30 per cent in the past 35 years, but only 6 per cent in women. Around 110 people in this UK are diagnosed with it every day.'

Monday, 22 April 2013

Study finds no constipation, colon cancer link

Long-term constipation doesn't raise risk for colon and rectal cancers according to a new analysis of the existing evidence.

Past studies had suggested a possible connection, but researchers said those results may have been skewed by poor study designs.

"Someone who's got chronic constipation is unlikely to be associated with colon cancer now or in the future," said study author Dr. Alexander Ford, senior lecturer at the St. James's University Hospital's Leeds Gastroenterology Institute in the UK.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with an estimated 51,000 Americans dying from it each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Established risk factors for the disease include a personal or family history of colorectal cancer, irritable bowel disease, certain syndromes that cause colon polyps, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heavy drinking, smoking and being over age 50, according to the American Cancer Society.

Questioning GP’s diagnosis saved mother’s life

AS Liz Irwin fell sicker and sicker she didn’t dare question the GP’s diagnosis of her illness.

The Oxfordshire teaching assistant lost two-and-a-half stone as she went back and forth several times with worsening stomach complaints.

After pressing for a different verdict in December 2009 she was hit with news which left her chilled.

She had an aggressive form of bowel cancer and would need a life-saving operation.

Now, five years on and fighting fit, the 33-year old has decided to speak out as she feels her life is finally back together.

The Chalgrove mother-of-two said: “It is seen as something of an old person’s disease and I hope that by speaking out after years of silence I can break that misconception.

Friday, 19 April 2013

Good results for bowel cancer testing

“A bowel cancer screening programme in England is on course to cut deaths by a sixth,” the BBC has reported. The story goes on to say, however, that there is concern “that the programme misses tumours in certain parts of the colon”.

This story is based on analysis of the first round of England’s Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, which was introduced in 2006. Screening programmes are designed to test for signs of a disease among people without symptoms. They can often detect diseases early, allowing treatment to be given at a stage when it is more likely to be effective at improving outcomes and lowering the risk of death. The screening programme invites people between the ages of 60 and 69 to participate, by giving them home faeces sampling kits that can be posted to a lab to check for traces of blood. Those who screen positive at this stage are then invited to undergo further diagnostic tests.

To date, the programme has invited about 2 million people to participate, with around half accepting and returning a sample. The results of the analysis suggest that if the early results are maintained, the screening programme will achieve the intended 16% reduction in overall bowel cancerdeaths.

Celebrity chefs team up with Sharpham Park and Bowel Cancer UK

Celebrity chefs have teamed up with Sharpham Park and Bowel Cancer UK to create an online collection of Great British Spelt Recipes.

The recipes will be launched online on April 1 to raise awareness of the importance of a high fibre diet in the prevention of bowel cancer during bowel cancer awareness month (April).

Roger Saul, founder of designer fashion label Mulberry, started growing spelt at his Sharpham Park estate near Glastonbury after his sister was advised by doctors to use the high fibre grain in her diet to help treat her stomach cancer.

Unable to find any on sale in the UK, Mr Saul began spelt farming in 2004. Sharpham Park is now a successful organic spelt business. Its spelt food range is available nationwide and is sold by retailers including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason.

Roger said: “As champions of British spelt, we believe that we have a part to play in communicating the message that a simple high fibre diet can make all the difference to reducing the risk of developing bowel cancer.” Spelt has a high mineral content and is easier to digest than wheat.

The recipes have been donated by 30 famous chefs including as Heston Blumenthal, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tom Aikens, The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Yotam Ottolenghi, Mark Hix, Rachel Green and Sophie Dahl.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

A gene test told Lynne she risked bowel cancer. So she took a drastic decision...

Most of us have found ourselves lying awake at night worrying about cancer, imagining what we’d do if that back pain or headache was something more sinister.

But what if cancer was not a possibility, but practically a certainty?

That’s the fear Lynne Fisher faced after she discovered she inherited a genetic fault that gave her an 80 per cent chance of bowel cancer.

Celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne and pop star Michelle Heaton are among those who have been found to have the so-called ‘breast cancer genes’ — the faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes — which put them at raised risk of breast and ovarian cancer (these are also linked to prostate cancer).

But less well known is that there’s a gene for bowel cancer, a disease that affects 40,000 people in Britain every year and kills 16,000.

Too many people are unaware of the symptoms of bowel cancer

Lent is almost at an end and this means – for me – that I can put chocolate back into my diet – although with a determination to be somewhat more disciplined about how much I eat! There is no doubt that "we are what we eat" and, to this end, Bowel Cancer UK has teamed up with Sharpham Park and launched The Great British Spelt Recipes campaign.

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and the latest figures from Cancer Research UK show that the number of cases of bowel cancer have risen considerably. In the 1970s, the figure for men diagnosed with bowel cancer was 45 in every 100,000 – now it is 58. For women the figure has risen from 35 to 37. The diet of processed and refined food, so much enjoyed by many people in the UK, has to be one of the causes of the rise in these numbers. Roughage is an essential part of a healthy diet and eating spelt – which the Romans called their "Marching Grain" – as a substitute for wheat, not only reduces the symptoms suffered by those with a wheat intolerance, but also provides B vitamins, iron, zinc, niacin (for lowering cholesterol and lipoprotein levels), riboflavin and has a low Glycaemic Index. The natural fibre in this whole-grain is a hugely important component of a bowel healthy diet.

Monday, 15 April 2013

Spa medical expert helps highlight bowel cancer symptoms

A MEDICAL expert in Droitwich Spa is calling on people to recognise the symptoms of bowel cancer.

It is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer claiming a life every 30 minutes, yet bowel cancer spotted early can be successfully treated in over 90 per cent of cases.

As Bowel Cancer Awareness Month starts in April, medical experts throughout the country are calling on people to recognise the symptoms so they are able to act quickly if they spot anything out of the ordinary.

At BMI Droitwich Spa Hospital, consultant colorectal surgeon Simon Radley stressed that early treatment could mean the difference between life and death.

He said: “If you know what is normal you can then act if something out of the ordinary happens.

“A change in your bowel habit that lasts for three weeks or more, blood in your poo are warning signs that need acting upon as soon as possible.”

Figures provided by Cancer Research show that over 93 per cent of people diagnosed with bowel cancer at an early stage survive for at least five years compared with less than seven per cent of those diagnosed at a late stage.

Male bowel cancer on the increase, says Cancer Research UK

Bowel cancer rates among men have increased by more than a quarter in the last 35 years, a report has suggested.

The Cancer Research UK study said this contrasted with a rise of just 6% in the rate for women over the same time.

However, bowel cancer survival rates are improving with half of all patients living for at least 10 years after being diagnosed.

It is not known why there should be such a large difference in the increase in rates between men and women.

Rising rates of bowel cancer may be linked to obesity and diets high in red and processed meat and low in fibre, as well as the increasing age of the population.

The disease is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer.

Monday, 25 March 2013

Obesity and exercise may affect bowel cancer risk

People who are obese could be at a higher risk of developing a certain type of bowel cancer while exercise lowers the risk, a study suggests.

Researchers in the US analysed data from thousands of men and women to determine if there was a link between weight, exercise and the risk for CTNNB1-positive or CTNNB1-negative bowel, or colorectal cancer.

A higher body mass index (BMI) was linked to an increased risk of CTNNB1-negative colorectal cancer, while physical activity was associated with a lower risk.

Both BMI and physical activity had no effect on the risk for CTNNB1-positive colorectal cancer, according to the research pubished in the journal Cancer Research.

Dr. Shuji Ogino, an associate professor of pathology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, said the results provided further evidence for a causal role of obesity and a physically inactive lifestyle in this specific type of bowel cancer.

Read More - http://www.spirehealthcare.com/Patient-Information/Health-News/Cancer/801547587-Obesity-and-exercise-may-affect-bowel-cancer-risk/

Could fitness be key to cancer surgery success?

A new keep fit regime might be last thing on the minds of many people diagnosed with cancer - but not Harry Johnstone.

He faced a daunting regime of scans, X-rays, biopsies and five intensive weeks of chemo-radiotherapy.

But with just six weeks to go until surgery Harry is the fittest he has been for years and feeling positive about the outcome.

Inspired by his doctors, Harry is the proud owner of a new exercise bike and sweats it out at home four times a week.

"They kept saying the fitter you are the better you'll recover from surgery so I wanted to be as fit as I can be going into surgery," he said.

Harry was motivated to buy his bike after taking part in a pilot study at Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool. Patients are invited by Malcolm West, surgical registrar and expert in bowel cancer, to jump on exercise bikes to get into shape for surgery.

Read more - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21627235

Monday, 18 March 2013

CT scans are the best alternative to colonoscopy to investigate bowel cancer

Study finds that 'virtual colonoscopy' using CT scans is more effective for investigating patients with possible bowel cancer than traditional tests.

Based on a news release by Cancer Research UK

A less invasive ‘virtual colonoscopy’ using CT scans is more effective for investigating patients with possible bowel cancer than the traditional X-ray test, according to a new study.

The researchers say CT colonography (CTC) should now be considered alongside the ‘gold standard’ of colonoscopy. However, they caution that guidelines are needed before this type of scan is used more widely because its ability to detect relatively unimportant issues can result in patients being referred for unnecessary follow-up tests.

Read more - http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_14-2-2013-12-20-5

When is best to screen for bowel cancer?

The Daily Mail reported today that, “thousands of lives could be saved if the age at which men are screened for bowel cancer is lowered by 10 years.”

This news story is based on a large Austrian study that aimed to determine the correct age to screen men and women for bowel cancer. It found that the number of screening colonoscopies needed to detect one case of bowel cancer (called the number needed to screen or NNS) was significantly lower in men compared to women across all ages. The NNS in men who were 55-59 years old was similar to women 10 years older (75 versus 81.8 colonoscopies respectively). This and other similar findings led the authors to suggest a need to reduce the screening age in men by approximately 10 years.

This robust study provides important information about the difference in prevalence of bowel cancer in men and women of different ages who took part in a national colonoscopy screening programme.

Read More - http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/health/when-is-best-to-screen-for-bowel-cancer-1-4841186

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Bowel cancer survival 'more likely'

People are almost 50% more likely to survive bowel cancer compared to 30 years ago, according to Scottish government statistics.

The figures show the five-year survival rate for bowel cancer increased from 38% between 1983 to 1987, to 55% between 2003 and 2007.

The Scottish government will launch a new awareness campaign on Monday.

From April the bowel screening programme will be extended to those over the age of 74.

Currently, men and women aged between 50 and 74 are invited to participate in screening every two years.

The bowel cancer drive will focus on the importance of screening in increasing the early detection of bowel cancer, and encourage all men and women aged over the age of 50 to participate in the screening programme.

Health Secretary Alex Neil said: "These statistics are encouraging and show that today people are far more likely to survive bowel cancer than they were 30 years ago.

Read more - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21486544

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