Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

As April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, it has been highlighted by Cancer Research UK that rates of the disease in men have increased by 29%, from 45 cases per 100,000 men in 1975-77, to 58 cases per 100,000 in 2008-10.
There has also been a slight increase in the number of cases among women, from 35 to 37 per 100,000, across the same time period.
The reason for the rise and the difference in numbers between men and women is unknown, but it also important to note that survival rates are improving year on year, with half of all patients now living for at least 10 years after diagnosis.
The risk of bowel cancer increases as we age, and with life expectancy rising, it is perhaps unsurprising that cases of the disease have also risen.