Bowel cancer
Bowel cancer affects more than 36,500 people in the UK every year. It is the second most common cancer in women and the third in men. Thanks to improved treatment and earlier detection, five-year survival rates for bowel cancer have doubled over the last 30 years.
Eating a diet low in red or processed meat and high in fibre, fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of bowel cancer. Being physically active helps to cut the risk, but being overweight or regularly drinking too much alcohol increases it.
Cancer Research UK is one of the major funders of bowel cancer research in the UK. Some people inherit faulty genes that increase their risk of bowel cancer, and our scientists have played a leading role in identifying these genes.
England, Scotland and Wales have launched national screening programmes for bowel cancer. Experts think this will save around 20,000 lives over the next twenty years.
Browse content about Bowel cancer
- August 2007 podcast transcript
- Bowel cancer - UK incidence statistics
- Bowel cancer - UK mortality statistics
- Bowel cancer - histology
- Bowel cancer - molecular biology and genetics
- Bowel cancer - risk factors
- Bowel cancer - screening and prevention
- Bowel cancer - survival statistics
- Bowel cancer - symptoms and treatment
- Bowel cancer research
- Bowel cancer statistics - Key Facts
- Briefing - cancer screening
- Commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide
- December 2009 podcast transcript
- Dr Doug Winton
- Dr Joan Austoker
- Dr Neil Campbell
- Dr Owen Sansom
- July 2009 podcast transcript
- Our progress and achievements in the 1980s
- Our progress and achievements in the 2000s
- Prof Alan Clarke
- Prof Caroline Dive
- Prof Chris Paraskeva
- Prof Ian Tomlinson
- Prof Inke Näthke
- Prof Jack Cuzick
- Prof John Primrose
- Prof Malcolm Dunlop
- Prof Matt Seymour
- Prof Peter Sasieni
- Prof Richard Houlston
- Prof Tim Maughan
- Prof Trevor Dale
- Prof Wendy Atkin
- September 2007 podcast transcript
- Spot bowel cancer early
Browse news and press releases about Bowel cancer
- "Min" mouse saved from cancer
- 'Junk DNA' could spotlight breast and bowel cancer
- Asian community less likely to attend cancer screening
- Aspirin may not protect smokers from bowel cancer says study
- Aspirin reduces bowel cancer risk but side-effects may outweigh benefits for many
- Audit reveals improvement in bowel cancer surgery care, but gaps remain
- Belfast scientists learn how best to target bowel cancer treatment
- Blueberry 'superfood' claim played down
- Booze boosts bowel cancer risk
- Bowel cancer deaths the lowest for 10 years
- Bowel cancer screening set to save thousands of lives
- Bowel cancer screening unacceptable to one in ten
- Cancer Research UK scientists target early bowel cancer prevention with new drug
- Cancer cases up but survival more than doubles in breast and bowel cancer
- Celebrities take aim for the Bobby Moore Fund
- Charity predicts 20,000 fewer deaths from bowel cancer
- Dearth of bowel cancer surgeons in the North
- Doubling fibre intake almost halves bowel cancer risk
- Dundee leads Scotland in launching new cancer research centre
- Enzyme signpost points to better bowel cancer test
- Exercise cuts colon cancer risk by a quarter
- Family history of bowel cancer linked with reduced risk of recurrence
- Football hero's legacy spurs on decline of bowel cancer
- Fruit and veg pigments may provide bowel cancer protection
- Global bowel cancer rates on the rise
- Government guilty of betrayal over bowel cancer screening
- Grape extract could 'slow bowel cancer growth'
- Healthy lifestyle could prevent many cancers
- Higher vitamin D levels may be linked to lower risk of bowel cancer
- IARC finds more cancers linked to tobacco and alcohol
- Keyhole surgery for bowel cancer on the up, but not yet available to all
- Level of liver hormone could help diagnose bowel cancer
- Male smokers and drinkers at greatest bowel cancer risk, says study
- More evidence for aspirin/bowel cancer prevention link
- NICE approves drug for advanced bowel cancer
- New technique could speed up research into cancer stem cells
- Press release: Take a tip from Kim and Aggie and reduce bowel cancer risk
- Protein "Crossroads" Offers Bowel Cancer Hint
- Racial differences in response to bowel cancer genetic risk factor
- Regular exercise linked to bowel cancer prevention
- Researchers trace bowel cancer to stem cells
- Rural patients shying away from best cancer care
- Scientists discover new genetic test to spotlight heightened bowel cancer risk
- Scientists find bowel cancer genes that triple risk
- Scientists make smoking and bowel cancer link
- Scientists reveal 'protector' gene behind 50-fold increase in number of bowel tumours
- Stem cells may 'ignite' bowel cancer development
- Teddy promotes Bobby Moore fund for Cancer Research UK
- US inherited bowel cancer risk traced back to immigrant couple
- Wales begins bowel screening programme
- 'Flat' bowel lesions common and linked to bowel cancer
- 60-year-old drug shows new promise for inherited cancer
- Aspirin for forty somethings could cut cancer risk
- Aspirin may reduce cancer risk in people with Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC)
- Aspirin's anti-bowel cancer benefits limited by genes says study
- Avastin shows promise in lung cancer trial
- Blocking single enzyme could shut down bowel cancer growth
- Bobby Moore Fund's celebrity supporters gather on the 'West' course
- Bowel cancer could be prevented by screening, according to major new study
- Bowel cancer screening could halve emergency admissions
- Bowel cancer screening to be considered from age 25 for high risk group
- Bowel cancer survival diet link 'inconclusive'
- Cancer Research UK shocked by survival study
- Cancer molecule is key to bowel cancer spread
- Challenge yourself with a unique trip to South Africa in World Cup year and help tackle bowel cancer
- DNA fault may allow detection of 'early-onset' bowel cancer
- Delays in cancer diagnosis 'claim thousands of lives each year'
- Doubts raised over low fat diet cancer study
- Edinburgh scientists investigate possible ways to prevent bowel cancer
- Exciting challenges ahead for the Bobby Moore Fund
- Experimental vaccine reduces bowel cancer spread in mice
- Fertility authority may allow cancer screening
- Footballing legend joins forces with bowel cancer survivor
- Gene therapy boosts immune system against cancer
- Government challenged over bowel cancer screening programme
- Government pledges faster, more comprehensive cancer care
- HRT study provides more evidence of bowel cancer risk reduction
- High fibre diet offers unequal cancer protection suggests research
- Human stem cells could provide vaccine against bowel cancer
- Important advance in bowel screening
- Lack of funding blamed for delay to bowel cancer screening programme
- Lifestyle changes could prevent one in four cases of bowel cancer by 2024
- Men braver than women over bowel cancer test
- More evidence of bowel cancer exercise benefit
- New computer software helps GPs spot family cancer risk
- Nine in ten survive early stage bowel cancer
- Preventing bowel cancer in high risk families
- Public unaware of link between processed meat and bowel cancer
- Radiotherapy before surgery slashes bowel cancer recurrence says trial
- Research unravels aspirin's role in preventing certain bowel cancers
- Rich 50 per cent more likely to take part in bowel screening
- Scientists confirm rare genetic mutations that ramp up bowel cancer risk
- Scientists find a trigger to aggressive bowel cancer
- Scientists locate first common bowel cancer gene
- Scientists measure red meat cancer risks
- Screening for variety of genes could determine bowel cancer risk
- Suicide gene therapy kills bowel cancer cells
- UK team gains insight into aggressive bowel cancer
- US scientists 'decode' breast and bowel cancer genomes
- Welsh bowel screening programme detects 25 cases in six months
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