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.

Read More - http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-study-constipation-cancer-idUKBRE92K0TU20130321

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.

Read More - http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yourtown/wantage/10310548.Questioning_GP___s_diagnosis_saved_mother___s_life/

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.

Read more - http://www.lutterworthmail.co.uk/news/health/good-results-for-bowel-cancer-testing-1-4841096