It can be prevented

Jan 12 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

EVERY day in the North-East around five people are diagnosed with bowel cancer.

With 1,750 cases each year, the disease is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the region after breast and lung cancer.

Around two-thirds of cases of bowel cancer could be prevented by changes in lifestyle, and many deaths could be prevented by earlier detection.

Overall the five-year survival rate is around 50%. However, this varies by stage of diagnosis. If bowel cancer is caught early, the survival rates increase to more than 80%.

In the last decade, bowel cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by almost a fifth.