Professor Glen Doherty

If we can identify it at an early stage, and that's what screening is all about, then sometimes surgery by itself is enough to treat the problem.

If the disease has, let's say, progressed outside the colon itself, then that can sometimes require additional treatments, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, after the surgical procedure begins.

But the results of treatment are always better if we identify it early.

Well, survival rates, traditionally, it is a type of cancer that in the past we would have said that, you know, if you were diagnosed with bowel cancer today, 10 years ago, we would have said half those people would unfortunately succumb to the illness within the next five years.

Survival rates are improving and that's largely due to the fact that we're picking up the disease earlier and

early identification means better outcomes, better survival.

So now the majority of patients would survive for five years and way beyond.

Yeah, yeah.

Now a good bit over 50%.

So there is a genetic component in certain families.

So there can be a genetic tendency that runs.

Now, most cancers that arise in the colon arise what we call sporadically, which means that they're not related to any inherited genetic factor.

That's only a small proportion of all the cancers.

But there is advice for people...

If they have a first degree relative, like your caller mentioned, say, for example, if that individual, if their mother was diagnosed with cancer at age 60, then we would usually advise a first degree relative would have a test, either a colonoscopy or a stool test, 10 years earlier than that.

So if the patient was age 60, then the family member would be age 50.

No, at the minute they would be invited from age 57 onwards.

Now, there are options you can... There are commercial companies that offer the screening test to the general population.

But that's something I'd encourage people to maybe discuss with their GP.

And, you know, because sometimes when people ask a question like that, it's because...