Men face bowel cancer risk
Wednesday July 27th, 2011
British men now face a significant risk of developing bowel cancer during their lifetimes, according to stark new figures published today.
In
the last four decades the risk has doubled - and now as many as one in
15 men are face contracting the disease in their lifetimes, according
to Cancer Research UK.
By 2008 some 21,800 men were diagnosed with the disease - compared with just 11,800 in 1975.
Survival chances have also doubled because of improved diagnosis and treatment, the charity said. About half these men are now likely to live at least ten years - compared with about 23 per cent in the 1970s.
Experts said today's increased life expectancy was a key factor in the increase in disease.
The new figures have emerged from an new method of calculating lifetime risk of developing cancer. This shows that 42 per cent of men will contract one kind of cancer or another - compared with 38 per cent of women.
Researcher Professor Peter Sasieni said: “As people are living longer the numbers getting cancer have increased and the lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer has gone up.
”Lifetime risk is a complex issue but it allows us to estimate the sheer number of people who will develop cancer by predicting the chance of getting the disease between birth and death based on today’s cancer incidence rates and death rates from cancer and other causes."
He added: "For some cancers including bowel – the risk of cancer in the next ten years will be much higher for people in their 50s and 60s. But if someone reaches their late 70s and hasn’t yet developed the disease then their risk of getting it during the rest of their lifetime is lower than their risk at birth."
Sara Hiom, of Cancer Research UK, said people could take steps to reduce their risk of getting cancer.
She said: "You can reduce your risk of bowel cancer by keeping a healthy weight, being physically active, eating a healthy diet that’s high in fibre and low in red and processed meat, cutting down on alcohol and not smoking. It’s also important to take up the opportunity to take part in bowel screening when invited."
What is the lifetime risk of developing cancer? The effect of adjusting for multiple primaries. Sasieni P et al. British Journal of Cancer July 27 2011; doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.250
Tags: Cancer | Gastroenterology | Internal Medicine | Men’s Health | UK News
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