April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and I want to raise awareness about this important health issue.
The statistics are stark. One in 14 men and one in 19 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime. Every 15 minutes, someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. More than 44 people in the UK die from bowel cancer every day, which makes bowel cancer the UK's second biggest cancer killer.
But we can do more to combat bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is treatable and curable – especially if diagnosed early. In fact, nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops. So, whilst nearly 98% of people will survive bowel cancer for five years or more if detected at the earliest stage, this compares to just 7% of people diagnosed at the latest.
If you’re registered with a GP and aged 60-74, you should receive a free NHS bowel cancer screening test in the post every two years. You carry out the simple test at home in private and it comes with clear step by step instructions. You usually get the results of your test in about two weeks.
This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage everyone of screening age to take the screening test when they receive it in the post. Screening is the best way to detect bowel cancer early, when there is the best chance of survival.
At the moment, the average uptake in England is only 56% and in some areas as little as a third of those who receive a test in the post complete it. This means that thousands of people are missing out on the opportunity to detect bowel cancer early.
So, if you are over 60, then please do take the test when you receive it in the post. If you are younger, then you have a role in this too. You can make a difference by encouraging those people in your life who are over 60 – whether parents, grandparents or friends – to take the test. Quite simply, early diagnosis can save lives.