People in deprived communities in Forth Valleywho are diagnosed with bowel cancer are now presenting at an earlier stage of their illness thanks to good service and easy access to GP's and primary care staff. The findings are the result of research led by consultant surgeon John Camilleri-Brennan, based at Stirling Royal Infirmary.
In the past patients from poorer areas tended to seek treatment when the cancer was more advanced and therefore had a shorter survival rate. But the latest study, based on more than 800 patients over the past five years, has concluded that better and more uniform access to healthcare services is paying dividends. There is now no difference in the stage of presentation of bowel cancer between those living in deprived areas and those who are well off.
Consultant surgeon John Camilleri-Brennan said: "This study which examined the relationship between socio-economic status, age and gender to the stage of presentation of bowel cancer, carries important messages. It shows that everyone has equal access to primary care services and that individuals from deprived communities have been seeking help sooner,perhaps influenced by cancer awareness programmes. The provision of rapid access to treatment means that anyone suspected of having bowel cancer is referred to hospital by their GP without delay, and is seen by a specialist in less than two weeks.
Presenting at an earlier stage of the cancer will certainly result in an improved survival rate and a better quality of life."
The results of the study were presented in Prague at the annual conference ofthe European Society of Coloproctology.
Bowel cancer (or colorectal cancer) is a major public health problem in Scotland, which has a higher rate of bowel cancer than most other countries in the western world. In Scotland it is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, with around 3,400 new cases a year. Ninety five per cent of these cases occur in people over the age of 50.
A screening programme to detect colon cancer at its early stages is well established in Forth Valley. Around 50,000 testing kits were sent out during the first year and around l0 people a week are being sent to Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary for further assessment. Most are being reassured that they do NOT have cancer.
The programme has the potential to reduce deaths from bowel cancer by l5% which means it could prevent 150 deaths from the disease each year in Scotland. Early detection means there is a 90% chance of treating bowel cancer successfully and regular screening can also pick up pre-cancerous changes which can be easily dealt with."
The screening programme targets men and women between the ages of 50 and 74, who will receive a testing kit at their home. Samples are then returned to the National Bowel Screening Centre in Dundee and patients are notified of the results within two weeks.