We asked our SCPN team and friends what they thought was the most interesting paper that had come across their desks this year. First off Professor Bob Steele CBE Chair of the Scottish Cancer Foundation and co-director of the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network tells us about his paper of the year…. and discusses how precision medicine and big data have the potential to improve patient outcomes. But could they also increase overdiagnosis?
Continue reading “Paper of the Year 2019: Professor Bob Steele”
Why should receiving a diagnosis of early cancer be good news? Well the reason is simply that, in most instances, early cancer is completely curable.
This of course calls into question the definition of curable, but if we accept that a reasonable definition is dying of an unrelated cause, with no evidence of the “cured” disease in question, then the majority of cases of early cancer are truly curable.
Every two years I receive a letter from myself. I know what it is before I open it, from the NHS logo on the envelope and the shape and feel of the contents. This is, of course, my bowel screening test, and the invitation letter is signed by me as Clinical Director of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme. Thus, by virtue of my age, I send myself a letter on a regular basis.
Continue reading “Bowel Screening – Personal and Professional Reflections”
As part of Bowel Cancer Awareness month, we’re running a series of mini-blogs from bowel screening experts from the University of Dundee’s Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening. Here’s the first instalment, from Professor Bob Steele.
I should like the public to be much more aware that bowel cancer in its early stages is often completely curable, and usually does not require chemotherapy.
Continue reading “Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – Early Bowel Cancer Is Curable”
Our penultimate blog comes from Prof Bob Steele, Clinical Director, Scottish Bowel Screening Programme and our very own co-director. He has chosen a paper which discusses an innovative approach to improving rates of bowel screening in a disadvantaged population, a challenge that’s very pertinent to us here in Scotland.
Title: Comparative Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Intervention
to Improve Adherence to Annual Colorectal Cancer Screening
in Community Health Centers
SCPNBlog 