Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, after breast, prostate and lung cancers. The latest statistics have shown that over 41,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK with the majority of these cases occurring in people over the age of 50. 1 in 14 men (7%) and 1 in 19 women (5%) will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Over the last decade, bowel cancer incidence rates have increased by a twentieth (5%) in the UK. However, the good news is that survival from bowel cancer has improved. Since the early 1970s, the number of people dying from bowel cancer has decreased by more than two-fifths (42%) with almost 60% of people surviving for 10 or more years.
Sources: Cancer Research UK website: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/bowel-cancer#heading-One
Bowel Cancer UK website: https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/about-bowel-cancer/bowel-cancer/