Surge in referrals expected after bowel cancer campaign

Official estimates indicate NHS trusts will see a sudden increase of 15,000 cases as a result of the Be Clear On Cancer promotion, which will run until the end of March.

The first campaign of its type in the country urges anyone who has blood in their stools or loose stools for more than three weeks to see their GP as soon as possible.

Other symptoms can include a pain or lump in the abdomen, unexplained weight loss and feeling more tired than usual.

Bowel cancer affects 33,000 people every year in England and leads to 13,000 deaths, with most cases occurring in people over the age of 55.

It is often treatable if spotted quickly, with more than nine in 10 people diagnosed at an early stage surviving for at least five years.

Only six per cent of patients live for another five years if their cancer is found later.

The Government believes an extra 1,700 lives could be saved if England’s survival rates matched the best in Europe.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said: “Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer so we need to get over the embarrassment and talk to someone about it.

“The Be Clear on Cancer campaign uses simple messages to make people aware of the key symptoms of bowel cancer and to give them the confidence to talk to their GP if they notice the symptoms.

“No matter how embarrassing it is, talking to your GP can help save your life.”

The Government’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Sir Mike Richards, wrote to NHS trusts in December, telling them to prepare for an increase in referrals.

An average-sized trust can expect to be asked to carry out an extra 100 colonoscopies – tests which check for signs of cancer by using a camera to view the lining of the bowel.

When the campaign was piloted in the South West and east of England last year, GPs saw a 48 per cent rise in the number of patients aged 50 and over who came in with relevant symptoms.

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “Detecting bowel tumours early, before they’ve had a chance to spread can significantly stack the odds in the patient’s favour.

“If people respond to this campaign – and take up bowel screening when invited to do so – we have a chance of pushing bowel cancer well down the league table of killers.”

Mark Flannagan, chief executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, and Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said the campaign “will play a vital role in raising awareness and saving lives”.