Tackling key issues in gastroenterology

The 23rd United European Gastroenterology Week (UEG Week 2015) took place in Barcelona, Spain. High on the agenda was the need to improve screening, risk profiling and prevention strategies, to tackle the rising incidence of cancer of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. 

Cancers of the gastrointestinal tract continue to exert their toll across Europe, with many diagnosed too late for effective treatment. Bowel cancer screening programmes are now underway in most European countries, but screening for other GI cancers is patchy and not necessarily well-targeted. Experts at United European Gastroenterology (UEG) recently called for better risk profiling for all GI cancers in order to develop more targeted approaches to their screening and prevention. 

“Our growing understanding of the causes of these cancers, coupled with new diagnostic techniques, mean we are in a good position to start developing precision prevention programmes,” said Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge in the UK, speaking at UEG Week. “These would ensure we triage individuals based on their relative risk and apply the most appropriate screening, prevention and treatment options to each individual.”