Published in BMJ December 2008 - editorial by Zosia Kmietowicz
An estimated 2500 lives will be saved every year in the United Kingdom by 2025 because of screening for bowel cancer, research has shown.A study, funded by Cancer Research UK, predicted the impact of kits to test for faecal occult blood on mortality rates. A computer simulation was based on mortality and incidence of bowel cancer between 1975 and 2004 and the number of people who attended screening in early trials. It found that deaths from bowel cancer are set to drop by about 16%. By 2025 between 2200 and 2700 lives in the UK are expected to be saved, says the study (J Med Screen 2008;15:163-74, doi:10.1258/jms.2008.008024).
More than 36 500 people are diagnosed as having bowel cancer a year in the UK, and 16 000 people die from the disease. If detected at an early stage treatment is simpler and more effective, with four out of five people recovering.
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