Normal news

New research from a survey of oncologists and haematologists in Scotland by the company Roche has revealed that over a third of those surveyed (39%) are aware of cancer patients who have relocated to England to receive treatment. More than 90% of those surveyed considered access to cancer therapies better in England than Scotland.

This research comes as a new report is published, called the New Medicines Review, which has looked into the issues patients in Scotland have with accessing treatments.

According to figures released by the Information Services Division Scotland (ISD), two in five people in Scotland will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime, but people are living longer after diagnosis.

In response to these statistics, Mark Flannagan Chief Executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, said:

Today the Office for National Statistics released the latest data on cancer survival in England.

In response to this, Mark Flannagan, Chief Executive of Beating Bowel Cancer, said: “We’re pleased to see that one of the largest increases in one-year cancer survival was for men with bowel cancer.

During April 2013, football will unite to help raise awareness of bowel cancer.Players, managers and match officials from throughout professional football have joined forces with bowel cancer charities, including Beating Bowel Cancer, to stand up against the disease.

This year’s campaign, which is supported by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), will feature a striking new poster of England internationals Jack Wilshere and Rachel Yankey MBE, along with Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy and Premier League referee Mark Halsey, to encourage people to know the symptoms.

From April 1st, the Department of Health transferred responsibility for the Cancer Drugs Fund to NHS England and the four newly-established NHS Commissioning Boards:

• North of England
• Midlands and the East
• South of England
• London

This means that authority for decisions on which drugs and treatments, not routinely available on the NHS but funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), will move from a regional to a national level.

Today Beating Bowel Cancer has written to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, to raising concerns that bowel cancer patients may have their access to vital drugs cut off in January 2014.

There is no doubt that the creation of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was an enormous step forward for thousands of cancer patients, giving them access to treatments that enhanced their quality of life and gave them precious extra time with their families.

Tomorrow (Thursday 28 March) the Scottish Parliament will be debating one of the biggest health issues in Scotland today: how to slash the numbers of people dying from bowel cancer.  As a leading charity for people affected by bowel cancer, we look forward to hearing what MSPs say on the crucial issue of bowel cancer screening and diagnosis. 

We are deeply saddened to have lost another friend to bowel cancer.  Alison Michell passed away peacefully last Thursday evening after a battle lasting over ten years.  

You can read our tribute to Alison on our Facebook page.

Sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young, a study of half a million people across Europe suggests. The researchers said salt and chemicals used to preserve the meat may damage health. The evidence suggests that a diet high in processed meat can increase your risk of developing bowel cancer, so we recommend avoiding these as much as possible. This, combined with an active lifestyle, and awareness of the symptoms and risk factors, can help protect you from the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.

We are desperately saddened by the news that one of our most loyal supporters Alison Selfe passed away last night.  She was one of the Beating Bowel Cancer family and her loss will be shared by us all here.

We have posted a tribute to Alison on our Facebook page.