Genetic factors contribute to 30% of bowel cancer cases so more needs to be done to highlight this
Bowel Cancer UK is bringing to light the shocking lack of surveillance screening available to those with higher risk of the disease.
The cancer charity is calling for this to be addressed to ensure early detection of the disease, particularly for younger people who are at higher risk.
Genetic factors contribute to up to 30% of bowel cancer cases, that’s 8,000-12,000 people. Genetic factors mean a family history of bowel cancer or a genetic condition. People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease are the third high-risk group.
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, and nearly 16,000 people die each year. In total, over 40,000men and women are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK every year.
People in the higher risk groups are likely to develop bowel cancer much younger than the general population. Clinical guidance recommends that people in high-risk groups should be in a surveillance screening programme, which is proven to reduce deaths in these groups.
Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK commented, “Surveillance screening is proven to be a highly effective way of preventing and detecting bowel cancer early but recent evidence has shown there is an inconsistent approach to the management of people at higher risk.
"If, in the UK, we are serious about saving lives from this treatable disease, we must make sure that people at highest risk of developing bowel cancer are identified, have access to proper surveillance screening, and do not have undue waits for their tests. The current inconsistency, lack of capacity or clinical ownership must be addressed as a priority or lives will be unnecessarily lost. "
Never Too Young
During Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April, Bowel Cancer UK will be running their 'Never Too Young' campaign which was launched last year and aims to raise awareness of bowel cancer in patients under the age of 50. In 2012, over 2,000 younger people were diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK, of which 24 were in their teens.
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