As part of Bowel Cancer Awareness month, we’re running a series of mini-blogs from cancer experts . Here’s the next instalment from Dr Aileen Keel CBE.
I’d like to see greater public awareness of what individuals can do to reduce their personal risk of bowel cancer. Of course, an important part of that is taking part in the bowel screening programme.
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”
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 Callum G. Fraser.
I would like the wider public to be made much more aware of faecal immunochemical tests for haemoglobin (FIT). FIT, which are easy for patients with symptoms to do using single-sample hygienic collection devices, provide inexpensive means to decide whether they have serious colorectal disease or not.
Continue reading “Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – Patients with Symptoms Should Get FIT”
One of the fundamental principles underpinning the establishment of bowel cancer screening programmes for people with no symptoms is that early disease is detected. Treatment is then more effective, cure is often complete and survival is much enhanced. Significant evidence supports this thesis. It has been widely shown that more than half of all bowel cancers detected through screening programmes are early stage.
Continue reading “Bowel Screening Does Exactly What It Says on the Tin.”
A study given considerable well-deserved publicity has been published recently in the Journal of Clinical Oncology: Menon U, et al. Risk algorithm using serial biomarker measurements doubles the number of screen-detected cancers compared with a single-threshold rule in the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening. JCO; published online on May 11, 2015; DOI:10.1200/JCO.2014.59.4945.
Most cancers are detected or suspected in primary care after consultation with a GP. NICE published “Referral guidelines for suspected cancer” (CG27) in 2005. There have been many advances in the last decade and NICE prepared a document on “Suspected cancer: recognition and management of suspected cancer in children, young people and adults” in November 2014. This has been out for consultation and is expected in May 2015.
Continue reading “Faecal Tests for Blood – Think FIT, not FOB!”
A recent paper1 in the British Medical Journal on Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cancer, reminds us of the significant relationship between colorectal cancer and metabolic abnormalities. Indeed, an accompanying editorial by Satija et al2 concludes that “because of the rising incidences of both diseases worldwide action is needed for both clinical and public health communities to follow appropriate cancer screening guidelines among people with diabetes with a greater emphasis on lifestyle modifications”. But no one says it is important that diabetes screening guidelines should be a followed among people with raised risk for colorectal cancer.
Continue reading “Colorectal Cancer and Diabetes – Let’s Think it Through”
The world loves selfies but can this stretch to the shelfie? One of the aims of SCPN is to raise awareness about the preventability of cancer and think about how the environment around us can positively impact on our health and reduce disease risk.
During January we are focusing on the content of fridge shelves (#HealthyShelfie). We have asked/nominated folks to share their fridge contents with us and to illustrate all the lovely goodies that make up a healthy diet.
SCPNBlog 