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 (colorectal) cancer - UK incidence statistics
- Bowel (colorectal) 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
- Case study - Roland Hutchinson
- 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
Most recent news and press releases about Bowel cancer
- Press Release: Exploiting cancer's 'double agent' could lead to new treatments for bowel cancer
15 March 2010 - News story: Differences in the way stem cells divide provide clues about bowel cancer
18 February 2010 - Press Release: Dundee leads Scotland in launching new cancer research centre
4 February 2010 - News story: Higher vitamin D levels may be linked to lower risk of bowel cancer
25 January 2010 - Press Release: Rich 50 per cent more likely to take part in bowel screening
3 December 2009 - Press Release: Cancer Research UK shocked by survival study
1 December 2009 - Press Release: Scientists reveal 'protector' gene behind 50-fold increase in number of bowel tumours
24 November 2009 - News story: Audit reveals improvement in bowel cancer surgery care, but gaps remain
2 November 2009 - Press Release: Keyhole surgery for bowel cancer on the up, but not yet available to all
5 October 2009 - News story: Aspirin may reduce cancer risk in people with Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC)
22 September 2009
- Press Release: Clinical trial launched to test new treatment technique for bowel cancer
25 February 2010 - Press Release: Genetic 'hotspots' flag up opportunities for more personal bowel cancer treatment
10 February 2010 - News story: New technique could speed up research into cancer stem cells
27 January 2010 - Press Release: 'Junk DNA' could spotlight breast and bowel cancer
5 January 2010 - News story: Delays in cancer diagnosis 'claim thousands of lives each year'
2 December 2009 - Press Release: Challenge yourself with a unique trip to South Africa in World Cup year and help tackle bowel cancer
25 November 2009 - News story: IARC finds more cancers linked to tobacco and alcohol
4 November 2009 - News story: Human stem cells could provide vaccine against bowel cancer
9 October 2009 - Press Release: Scientists confirm rare genetic mutations that ramp up bowel cancer risk
1 October 2009 - Press Release: 60-year-old drug shows new promise for inherited cancer
27 August 2009
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