Welsh bowel cancer event

On the 25th May we invited Assembly Members to a photocall outside the Welsh Assembly with a giant inflatable colon to help raise awareness of bowel cancer and to call for the Flexiscope test to be introduced into the Welsh Bowel Screening Programme.

Assembly Members (AMs) walked through the colon to learn about how the new screening procedure could prevent a third of bowel cancers.

AMs also spoke with Professor Alan Clarke, Director of the Cardiff Cancer Research UK Centre, and Professor Malcolm Mason, Deputy Director of the Centre, about the Centre’s work on the biology and treatment of bowel cancer.

Gareth Griffiths Director of the Wales Cancer Trials Unit, and Barbara Moore Senior Cancer Research UK Research Nurse, also spoke about the importance of clinical trials in looking at the prevention and treatment of colon cancer.

An example of which is the Cancer Research UK endorsed FOLFERA clinical trial which Wales Cancer Trials Unit are running which looks at the effect of a novel drug for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. 

A third of Assembly Members attended altogether and will be sending press releases and pictures to their local newspapers to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and the benefits of the flexiscope test.

Please contact Clare Bath, Public Affairs Officer for Wales for more information.

Top image: Joyce Watson and Rebecca Evans, Assembly Members for Mid and West Wales with Professor Malcolm Mason

Bottom image: David Rees the new Assembly Member for Aberavon with Gareth Griffiths and Alan Clarke