Improved treatment and diagnosis has achieved a dramatic drop in mortality rates from colorectal cancer in the last two decades, according to an analysis published today.
By 2015 the disease was responsible for 26 deaths for every 100,000 people – compared with 38 deaths per 100,000 in 1995, according to Cancer Research UK.
The reduction is equivalent to 1,800 fewer people dying from the disease in 2015 than in 1995, according to the analysis.
Nearly 16,000 people died from the disease in 2015, making it the second most deadly form of cancer.
Professor Matt Seymour, an adviser to the charity based at Leeds University, UK, said: "Early diagnosis is critical for bowel cancer survival. In my opinion GPs and patients are becoming more aware of bowel cancer symptoms and acting more quickly than in the past.
"The national screening programme, introduced in 2006, means some cancers can be cured before they have caused any symptoms at all.
"And in our hospitals, better standards of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, imaging and pathology are all improving patients’ chance of cure.”
Dr Julie Sharp, from Cancer Research UK, said: “The increasing number of people surviving bowel cancer today shows how vital research has improved the treatment of the disease over the years.
"This positive trend is set to continue as new and improved bowel screening is rolled out nationwide, which can detect the early signs of cancer before symptoms develop."
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