Presentation by Bowel Cancer Awareness UK.
Minutes:
At this point, Councillor Paul Kyriacou left the meeting.
Clare Stephenson, from Bowel Cancer UK, spoke to the meeting about the importance of testing for bowel cancer. She said the organisation had been in existence for 25 years and that they had a support line staffed by nurse and open Monday-Friday.
In terms of the disease itself, survival rates of those cases which were picked up early were 93%, but unfortunately only 7% of cases were early diagnoses. The disease affected men and women equally, and there was a great lack of awareness of the symptoms and risk factors.
The symptoms for bowel cancer were bleeding, blood in the stool, bowl habits changing, weight loss, or lumps or bumps in the abdomen. If someone displayed any of these symptoms they should visit their GP. In terms of the risk factors, these were age (50+) and a family history of Crohn’s disease, polyps in the colon and type 2 diabetes.
The good news was that everyone could decrease their risk factors by: reducing their meat intake (especially of processed meat), eating more fruit and vegetables, for example beans, exercising and drinking enough water. Furthermore, smoking cessation and being screened for polyps in the bowel were important. People aged 60-69 were able to pick up free testing kits from their GPs. Responding to questions from the floor, Clare explained that only 60-69 year-olds were eligible for a free testing kit, but that anyone who had the symptoms she had outlined should visit their GP.