In the last 35 years, the number of men whose wellbeing is affected by bowel cancer has increased by over a quarter. This is according to a new report from Cancer Research UK, who say that male cases of bowel cancer have increased from 45 per 100,000 in 1975-77 to 58 per 100,000 in 2008-10, which is a rise of 29%.
But what about women? The Cancer Research UK study said that, in stark contrast, over the same time there has only been a rise of 6% in the rate bowel cancer. The women were 35 per 100,000 and rose to 37 per 100,000 in the same timescale. Yet, even if you do develop bowel cancer, that isn’t to say your wellness is at risk as it once was. The research revealed that half of patients are living for at least 10 years after being diagnosed with bowel cancer, which is a drastic improvement.
The rise in bowel cancer overall, which is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer, may be due to rising rates of obesity and diets high in red and processed meat and low in fibre, as well as the increasing age of the population. Those in their 60s and 70s experience 23,000 new cases of bowel cancer a year, making them the age group with the biggest rise. However, when it comes to the difference between genders, experts are none the wiser.
According to Professor Matthew Seymour of Leeds University, director of the National Cancer Research Network, ‘We know the risk of bowel cancer increases as we get older and, since we’re all living longer, it’s no surprise to see that the number of people getting the disease is rising. But when we look at these figures and take people’s age into account, we still see that the risk of bowel cancer has gone up in men in the last 35 years. It’s important to find out what’s behind the rise and what we can do about it.’
Stephanie Moore, whose footballer husband Bobby Moore died of bowel cancer in 1993, said it was encouraging that bowel cancer survival rates were improving, adding, ‘People must not die of embarrassment in this day and age.’ The Bobby Moore Fund charity has launched a new campaign, called Make Bobby Proud, which aims to spread the word about the disease, especially among men. Stephanie noted, ‘it’s vital we continue to fund research to fight this disease, as these new statistics show.’
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