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

Bowel screening 'helps catch cancer earlier'

People who attend bowel cancer screenings are more likely to have the condition diagnosed early enough to be successfully treated, according to a National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) study.

The report assessed data from the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit to compare the stage at diagnosis of bowel cancers picked up through screening with those diagnosed following the onset of symptoms.

It was found that 18.5 percent of cancer cases detected through screening were at the earliest stages, compared to 9.4 percent among patients who were already displaying symptoms of the disease.

Chris Carrigan, head of the NCIN, explained that more than 90 percent of people survive bowel cancer for at least five years when it is caught as early as possible.

He added: "This study highlights the potential improvements we can make through encouraging more people to take up their screening invitation so the disease is diagnosed earlier."

This comes after the NCIN published recent research showing that the poorest bowel cancer patients are more likely to die within a month of surgery than wealthier people.

Article source - http://www.zenopa.com/news/801388182/Bowel_screening__helps_catch_cancer_earlier

Listen to the bowel cancer warnings

MY BIRTHDAY last year didn't turn out as planned. Instead of an enjoyable lunch, I spent the afternoon in the company of some smart clinicians and an impressive set of Zeiss optics.

Together, they explored an intimate body cavity previously of perceived interest only to the US Department of Homeland Security. The screen of the endoscope charted all too clearly the progress of the excavation - a strange mixture of a drain survey and some peculiar form of medical archaeology.

Lumpen and ugly, the tumour, when it loomed into view, looked out of place and sinister.

Maybe it was the sedation, but my first thought on hearing the boggling diagnosis of bowel cancer was: "Great, I've just paid out for two life memberships..."

Bitterness followed soon after. A year later, after some impressive surgery, a fortnight in hospital and six bewildering months of chemotherapy I emerged chastened and thoughtful. How I had missed the warning signs of this all-too-common disease, despite a career in science that has put heavy emphasis on evidence-based reasoning, was a mystery.

Read More - http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428690.300-listen-to-the-bowel-cancer-warnings.html

Bowel screening identifies early cancers

Around 40 000 people are diagnosed each year in the UK with bowel cancer.

A bowel cancer population-screening program is now running throughout the UK using a simple stool test.

At the recent National Cancer Intelligence Network conference in Birmingham, researchers using data from the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit presented a study looking at bowel cancers in the region between January 2006 and September 2011 in people aged 60-69. In total there were 5,633 cancers of which 904 were detected by screening.

Researchers compared the stage at diagnosis of bowel cancers picked up by screening and those identified from symptoms.

18.5% of bowel cancers detected by screening were at the earliest stage compared with 9.4% of the cancers detected in patients with symptoms.

Late stage (advanced) cancers were more commonly found in patients with symptoms than in the screened population.

When bowel cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stage more than 90% of patients will survive for at least 5 years

There are several studies, which show that bowel cancer screening does save lives. The West Midlands data show that bowel screening picks up cancers at an earlier stage where cure is more likely.

There remains concern about the low uptake of the bowel cancer screening by the population as a whole and particularly amongst men.

It is important that when that kit arrives, you complete test. The testing is not always diagnostic, if you have any unexplained bowel symptoms or bleeding you should always seek medical advice irrespective of the test result.

Simon Radley July 2012