Bowel cancer research
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. More than 36,500 people are diagnosed with this disease and around 16,000 people die of bowel cancer each year in the UK.
The good news is that survival rates have doubled over the last 30 years and over half of people diagnosed with bowel cancer will survive for at least five years after diagnosis. But we still have a long way to go.
Cancer Research UK is a major supporter of research into all aspects of bowel cancer. In 1993, Stephanie Moore M.B.E. established the The Bobby Moore Fund in partnership with Cancer Research UK, to raise money for research into this disease.
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.
Below are some of the highlights of our bowel cancer research portfolio.
Or find out more on our bowel cancer briefsheet (PDF download, 591kb)
- Bowel screening
- Cancer biology
- Cancer genes
- Chemotherapy
- Clinical trials
- Diet
- Drug discovery & development
- Drug resistance
- Genes
- Inequality
- Preventing cancer
- Screening
- Stem cells
Bowel screening
Prof Wendy Atkin
Cancer Research UK Colorectal Cancer Unit
St Mark's Hospital, London
Detecting and preventing bowel cancer
Professor Wendy Atkin, based at St Mark's Hospital in London, is a prominent bowel cancer researcher. Her research focuses on preventing the disease and detecting it early.
Cancer biology
Prof Inke Näthke
Cell and Developmental Biology
University of Dundee, Dundee
The role of APC in bowel cancer
Professor Inke Näthke, based at the University of Dundee, is investigating a gene called APC, which is faulty in many cases of bowel cancer. Professor Näthke is particularly interested in the role of APC in cell movement and cell division because these important processes are disrupted in cancer cells.
Prof Trevor Dale
School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Studying gene faults involved in liver and bowel cancer
Professor Trevor Dale and his team at the University of Cardiff are investigating faults in important genes that can lead to bowel or liver cancer. By understanding more about these faulty genes, Professor Dale's work is paving the way for new treatments for these diseases.
Dr Owen Sansom
Wnt Signalling and Colorectal Cancer Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the molecular mistakes in bowel cancer
Dr Owen Sansom heads a research group at our Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. He and his team are investigating the molecular changes that happen in bowel cells that ultimately lead to bowel cancer. Finding out more about how it develops will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Doug Winton
Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine Group
Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Studying stem cells in bowel cancer
Dr Doug Winton runs a research group at our Cambridge Research Institute. He and his team are investigating how stem cells can fuel the growth of bowel cancer.
Cancer genes
Prof Malcolm Dunlop
Department of Surgery, MRC Human Genetics Unit
Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
The genetic causes of bowel cancer
Professor Malcolm Dunlop is leading research into the genetic and environmental causes of bowel cancer at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh. Bowel cancer is the UK's third most common cancer and Scotland itself has one of the highest rates of this disease in the world.
Prof Richard Houlston
Molecular and Population Genetics Team
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Genes and cancer
Professor Richard Houlston and his team are searching for cancer genes. They are carrying out large-scale studies of human populations to discover genetic faults that increase the risk of certain types of cancer including bowel, brain and lung. They are also searching for genes that influence a person's sensitivity to the effects of radiation.
Prof Ian Tomlinson
Population and Functional Genetics Laboratory
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford
Genes and bowel cancer
Professor Ian Tomlinson is Head of the Population and Functional Genetics Lab at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford. His main research interest is cancer genetics, focusing particularly on the genes involved in bowel cancer.
Chemotherapy
Prof Matt Seymour
School of Medicine
University of Leeds, Leeds
Testing new treatments for bowel cancer
Matt Seymour is Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds. His team carry out clinical trials testing new treatments for bowel cancer and cancers of other parts of the digestive system including the stomach and pancreas. Professor Seymour is especially interested in developing treatments with fewer side effects to give patients the best possible quality of life. He is also working to develop tests to select the best treatments for individual patients.
Clinical trials
Prof Caroline Dive
Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Developing new cancer treatments
Professor Caroline Dive leads the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group at the Cancer Research UK Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. Her team carry out lab studies and early clinical research into new cancer drugs. Professor Dive also carries out important research into drug resistance in bowel cancer.
Prof Tim Maughan
Section of Medicine
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Clinical trials in Wales
Tim Maughan is Professor of Cancer Studies in the School of Medicine at Cardiff University. His research focuses on the treatment of people with bowel cancer. He is currently leading a clinical trial called COIN, which is looking at new treatments for bowel cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Prof John Primrose
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
University of Southampton, Southampton
Better treatments for bile duct cancer
Professor John Primrose is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and is based at the University of Southampton. He heads up a clinical trial investigating how to improve treatment for people with cancer of the bile duct, and he is also researching treatments for bowel cancer.
Prof Matt Seymour
School of Medicine
University of Leeds, Leeds
Testing new treatments for bowel cancer
Matt Seymour is Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds. His team carry out clinical trials testing new treatments for bowel cancer and cancers of other parts of the digestive system including the stomach and pancreas. Professor Seymour is especially interested in developing treatments with fewer side effects to give patients the best possible quality of life. He is also working to develop tests to select the best treatments for individual patients.
Diet
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Drug discovery & development
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Drug resistance
Prof Caroline Dive
Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Developing new cancer treatments
Professor Caroline Dive leads the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group at the Cancer Research UK Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. Her team carry out lab studies and early clinical research into new cancer drugs. Professor Dive also carries out important research into drug resistance in bowel cancer.
Genes
Prof Alan Clarke
The Genetics Group, School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Understanding how bowel cancer develops
Professor Alan Clarke at Cardiff University is studying how bowel cancer develops. His research focuses on the role of the APC gene, which is found to be faulty in many cases of bowel cancer.
Inequality
Dr Neil Campbell
Department of General Practice and Primary Care
University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
Reducing inequalities in bowel cancer
Dr Neil Campbell at the University of Aberdeen is looking at bowel cancer trends in rural or deprived parts of the UK. His work should help ensure that everyone with bowel cancer has an equal chance of beating their disease. Dr Campbell is also working to boost awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer to promote earlier diagnosis of the disease.
Preventing cancer
Prof Malcolm Dunlop
Department of Surgery, MRC Human Genetics Unit
Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
The genetic causes of bowel cancer
Professor Malcolm Dunlop is leading research into the genetic and environmental causes of bowel cancer at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh. Bowel cancer is the UK's third most common cancer and Scotland itself has one of the highest rates of this disease in the world.
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Screening
Prof Jack Cuzick
Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Cancer prevention and screening
Professor Jack Cuzick runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out a huge range of research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.
Prof Peter Sasieni
Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology Group
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Improving cancer screening
Professor Peter Sasieni is a respected researcher in the field of cancer screening. Based at the Wolfson Institute in London, he is helping to ensure that existing NHS cervical screening programme runs as efficiently as possible. He is also working to improve bowel screening for people at high risk of the disease. And he is director of a new clinical trials unit specialising in cancer screening and prevention.
Stem cells
Dr Owen Sansom
Wnt Signalling and Colorectal Cancer Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the molecular mistakes in bowel cancer
Dr Owen Sansom heads a research group at our Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. He and his team are investigating the molecular changes that happen in bowel cells that ultimately lead to bowel cancer. Finding out more about how it develops will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Doug Winton
Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine Group
Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Studying stem cells in bowel cancer
Dr Doug Winton runs a research group at our Cambridge Research Institute. He and his team are investigating how stem cells can fuel the growth of bowel cancer.
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