The latest research and audit data show that progress is being achieved in terms of bowel cancer surgery and survival, but significant challenges remain in ensuring early diagnosis, prevention of emergency admissions, and variation across the UK.
Around 41,600 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year and around 16,200 die from the disease.1 While there have been improvements in survival, there is still wide variation in outcomes across the UK and efforts need to be made to address the high number of people dropping out of screening. The number of emergency admissions also remains a significant challenge.
According to the National Bowel Cancer Audit report, 90 day surgical mortality has fallen over the last five years. However, post-operative death at 90 days after emergency resection of colorectal cancer remains ‘stubbornly high’ at 16%, while almost one third of all colorectal cancer patients are not offered a resection with an associated two year survival of only 43% versus 80% if a resection is completed.2
“We need to work at improving the early diagnosis in patients and so their suitability to undergo surgery. How we do better in responding to both of these challenges needs to be the future focus of all multidisciplinary team(MDT) working,” said Asha Senapati, president, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.2
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