Bowel Cancer Awareness Month 2021 Begins

April marks Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, when people are encouraged to raise awareness and funds for research and treatment of the disease.

The annual campaign is backed by charities, such as Bowel Cancer UK.

Although the UK has been in lockdown, stopping people from getting together, April sees more restrictions lifted. This could make it possible to resume raising awareness of bowel cancer in more traditional ways.

The importance of early diagnosis

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, making up 11% of new cancers. Around 16,000 people die from the disease every year. This makes it the second biggest cancer killer.

Over half of bowel cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage. This leads to unnecessary deaths, with the Christie NHS Foundation Trust pointing out that if the disease is “diagnosed early, it is treatable and curable”.

According to Bowel Cancer UK, roughly nine in 10 people will survive bowel cancer if they are diagnosed at the earliest stage.

The pandemic has had an impact on cancer testing and diagnosis, with fewer people visiting their doctors with symptoms. This is largely because they don’t want to place further strain on the NHS, while many were worried about catching Covid.

Research published in the Lancet Oncology said: “Combined with interruptions in cancer screening programmes and delays in scans and diagnostics, a spike in late cancer presentations and diagnoses is anticipated, making some previously curable tumours more difficult to treat and, unfortunately, further excess deaths unavoidable.”

Getting involved in Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

To mark this awareness month, Bowel Cancer UK is hosting a live stream to remember those who lost their battles with bowel cancer. The event takes place on 11 April via Zoom and will feature patron Floella Benjamin.

Another way you can get involved and contribute to this awareness month is by getting active. Bowel Cancer UK is running a Step up for 30 campaign. To get involved, you just have to get active every day in April and ask people to sponsor you.

The charity is also encouraging people to share their stories of being kept waiting for a bowel cancer test. This can help to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease and how important an early diagnosis is.

You could also be able to make a compensation claim if your cancer was missed or not diagnosed quickly enough.

To find out how First4Lawyers could guide you through the process, just give us a call or start your claim online. Our compassionate and understanding advisors are here to help. This isn’t something you have to go through alone.