MP says East of England does better than most but there is still further to go
John Baron MP is supporting a campaign by the national charity Beating Bowel Cancer by calling for everyone in the area to learn the symptoms of the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.
New figures released by Beating Bowel Cancer showed awareness amongst people in the East of England was higher than the national average, with just under a quarter of people in the region claiming not to know any of the symptoms of bowel cancer. However, when questioned only 41 per cent of people were able to name two or more symptoms of bowel cancer.
John said:
“Around 60 people in Basildon and Billericay will be diagnosed with bowel cancer this year. The East of England does better than most when it comes to awareness but I hope that by supporting Beating Bowel Cancer’s awareness campaign we can encourage more people to know the symptoms in order to achieve earlier diagnosis.”
Mark Flannagan, Chief Executive of Beating Bowel said:
“I am delighted that John Baron MP is supporting our symptoms awareness campaign. Bowel cancer claims a life every 30 minutes, often because people are diagnosed too late. If diagnosed early, over 90% of bowel cancer cases could be successfully treated, so knowing the symptoms and when to act upon them could really save your life.”
Notes to editors
Bowel cancer symptoms:
If you have one or more of the following symptoms for three weeks or more go and see your GP:
- Bleeding from the bottom
- A persistent change in bowel habit
- A limp or severe pain in the abdomen
- Unexplained weight loss or tiredness
Anyone worried about bowel cancer can find out more information at www.beatingbowelcancer.org
New Data
All figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2028 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken online between 11th – 14th March 2011. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
A summary of the data is below:
|
Do you know what the symptoms of bowel cancer are |
No, I don’t know any symptoms of bowel cancer |
Correctly named two or more symptoms |
Named rectal bleeding (high risk symptom) |
Named change in bowel habit (high risk symptom) |
| National Average | 40% | 32% | 58% | 27% |
| Men only | 52% | 22% | 49% | 19% |
| Women only | 29% | 41% | 66% | 36% |
| North East | 4% | 37% | 59% | 28% |
| North West | 41% | 24% | 50% | 21% |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 41% | 32% | 60% | 24% |
| East Midlands | 42% | 27% | 53% | 28%% |
| West Midlands | 45% | 29% | 55% | 31% |
| East of England | 24% | 40% | 71% | 36% |
| London | 46% | 23% | 47% | 19% |
| South East | 45% | 32% | 55% | 25% |
| South West | 30% | 46% | 69% | 42% |
| Wales | 47% | 33% | 52% | 26% |
| Scotland | 40% | 37% | 66% | 26% |
Beating Bowel Cancer is a national charity for bowel cancer patients, working to raise awareness of symptoms, promote early diagnosis and encourage open access to treatment choice for those affected by bowel cancer. Through their work they aim to save lives from this common cancer. For more information visit www.beatingbowelcancer.org.
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