Bowel cancer research
Cancer Research UK is a major supporter of research into all aspects of bowel cancer. In 1993 Stephanie Moore M.B.E. established the Bobby Moore Fund, in partnership with Cancer Research UK, to raise money for research into bowel cancer.
Since it was established, the Fund has raised over £9 million. You can find out more by visiting the The Bobby Moore Fund Website.
We also provide a range of information materials aimed at patients and carers – there is a section dealing extensively with bowel cancer on our CancerHelp website.
You can find out more about bowel cancer in our 'Cancers At A Glance' section.
Understanding the causes
Cancer Research UK funds a wide range of research to discover and study the faulty genes involved in bowel cancer. Understanding these may open up new possibilities for prevention, detection and treatment of the disease.
One area of our work focuses on the rare inherited gene faults that put some people at high risk of bowel cancer. For example, Professor Ian Tomlinson in London is looking at faults in a gene called APC, which was located by our scientists in the 1980s. These faults cause a syndrome called FAP. People with FAP have an extremely high risk of developing bowel cancer.
Meanwhile Professor Malcolm Dunlop's group in Edinburgh are looking for faults in high-risk genes, such as the so-called ‘mismatch repair’ genes, in people who develop bowel cancer before the age of 55.
Professor Richard Houlston's group at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is co-ordinating a national collaborative effort called CORGI. They are looking for new high-risk genes in families with a history of bowel cancer that is not associated with any of the known susceptibility genes. They're also looking for subtle genetic changes that carry a moderate risk of bowel cancer but are likely to be much more common in the general population.
A person’s risk of bowel cancer is not just influenced by their genetic make-up. Instead, it is determined by complex interactions between their genes, their lifestyle and other factors. Professor Roland Wolf in Dundee, and Professor Tim Bishop in Leeds are studying the interaction between our genes and things like diet in affecting a person’s bowel cancer risk. And Cancer Research UK scientists are making progress in uncovering which particular aspects of diet are important. Cancer Research UK is helping to fund the UK arm of EPIC (The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), a massive European investigation into the links between diet and health. The study has already shown that a high-fibre diet lowers bowel cancer risk, while regularly eating large amounts of red and processed meats increases it.
Cancer Research UK is funding many other studies aimed at giving scientists a better understanding of how bowel cancer develops at the molecular level. For example, Professor Chris Paraskeva in Bristol is investigating how normal bowel cells die, and what goes wrong with this process in cancer. And Professor Margaret Frame in Glasgow is investigating how bowel cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
Prevention and early detection
The earlier bowel cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. The NHS is currently rolling out a national bowel cancer screening programme across the UK. It will be based on the faecal occult blood test, which looks for trace amounts of blood in stool samples. The programme is being introduced in phases amongst men and women in their sixties, and aims to cover the all people in this age group by 2009.
Cancer Research UK-funded scientists in London, led by Professor Wendy Atkin are coordinating a UK-wide trial of another screening technique called ‘flexible sigmoidoscopy’. This involves inserting a flexible plastic tube, fitted with a miniature camera, into the bowel to detect polyps and cancers. Early results are encouraging and the technique may also form part of the national screening programme in the future. And Dr Joan Austoker in Oxford is evaluating the information material available for the general public to accompany screening invitations.
Dr James Brenton in Cambridge is investigating whether DNA testing of stool samples may be able to assist in the prevention and early treatment of bowel cancer. And Professor Sue Wilson in Birmingham is running a trial to assess whether a blood test for a molecule called MMP-9 could help diagnose the disease.
Identifying the genes that cause bowel cancer in families and developing genetic testing will help those at highest risk. Dr Huw Thomas in London is working with these families to determine how best to monitor and care for them.
Improving treatment
A key priority for Cancer Research UK is to improve treatment for people with bowel cancer, particularly for those with advanced disease. We are supporting clinical trials across the UK to find the best combination, timing, and dose of drug treatments and radiotherapy.
Professor Matt Seymour's team in Leeds is looking at the best way to treat older people with advanced bowel cancer and patients who have become resistant to chemotherapy. And Professor Paddy Johnston's lab in Belfast is also tackling the challenge of drug resistance in people with bowel cancer by examining how their genetic make-up affects response to treatment. In Southampton, Professor John Primrose is investigating whether a course of chemotherapy before (as well as after) surgery helps control bowel cancer that has spread to the liver. And our scientists are developing ways of predicting a person’s response to treatment, allowing doctors to tailor treatment more specifically to individuals.
We also fund a huge range of research all over the UK that aims to convert the latest discoveries in the lab into therapies that will save more lives. We are funding world-renowned teams in Sutton, Newcastle and Manchester who are leading the search for new drug treatments. And we are funding the work of Professor Christian Ottensmeier and Professor Tim Elliott in Southampton on cancer vaccines, which may allow doctors in the future to ‘teach’ a patient’s immune system to kill cancer cells.
Improving quality of life
Cancer Research UK is committed to improving the quality of life for cancer patients and supporting them and their families.
Dr Neil Campbell in Aberdeen is looking at ways to reduce the social inequalities in survival and quality of life in people with bowel cancer. And we are funding Professor Tom Fahey in Dundee to help GPs identify patients with gastrointestinal symptoms who are at high risk of bowel cancer, so that they can be treated quickly and effectively.
Progress and future perspectives
- Despite an increase in the number of people getting bowel cancer over the last ten years, the number of people who die from the disease has fallen and will continue to fall, as the disease is diagnosed earlier and treatments improve.
- The introduction of an NHS bowel cancer screening programme should further decrease the number of deaths from the disease.
- The results of large studies, such as EPIC, will give us clearer ideas about how best to prevent bowel cancer.
