“The fact that bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, when it is one of the most curable cancers shows that we need to make sure that everyone is aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and the help that is provided by the NHS,”

commented Phil Willis MP after backing the BE LOUD! BE CLEAR! campaign organised by Beating Bowel Cancer.

The campaign aims to spread awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer and the effectiveness of treatment if the disease is detected early. It also highlights the importance of screening for the cancer and called for the government to extend the age range for screening in England.

The Harrogate and Knaresborough MP said that;

“Over 90% of bowel cancer cases could be successfully treated if diagnosed early enough and this demonstrates the importance of being screened regularly.

Currently you are eligible to be screened every 2 years for bowel cancer if you are aged between 60- 69, with the service extending to those aged between 70- 74 during 2010.

“The participation rate in our area is 57.5% and whilst this is above the national average, it means that thousands of people who are at risk are not taking advantage of the screening provided by the NHS.

“I urge all of those who are eligible to be screened regularly and call on the government to extend the screening for bowel cancer even further to include those in their 50’s, so that even more lives can be saved from what is often a very treatable disease.

ENDS

Editors Notes

Phil Willis has signed Early Day Motion 590 Beating Bowel Cancer’s Be Loud! Be Clear! Campaign, the text of which is as follows:
That this House welcomes the progress towards completing the roll-out of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme for 60 to 69 year olds in England; supports the recent commitment to extend bowel cancer screening to 70 to 75 year olds; recognises that bowel cancer is the UK's second biggest cancer killer, with more than 37,500 people diagnosed each year; further supports the efforts of the screening programme to reduce the number of deaths from the disease through early detection and treatment; notes that participation in the bowel cancer screening programme is only 55.5 per cent.; congratulates Beating Bowel Cancer on its Be Loud! Be Clear! campaign, and its ongoing work with bowel cancer patients; supports the charity's 2012 Screening Challenge to work with patients and the NHS to increase the levels of uptake in the screening programme so that one million additional people are screened for bowel cancer by 2012; and urges the Government to extend the age range for screening in England to 50 to 59 year-olds so that more people at risk of bowel cancer have the opportunity to be screened for, and beat, the disease.
For more information please go to www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk or www.beatingbowelcancer.org.

Embargo: Immediate
Date: 09/03/10