NHS patients waiting months for vital bowel cancer tests, figures show

Patients with one of the most lethal forms of cancer are having to wait months to have vital diagnostic tests, in a new sign of the relentless pressure on NHS services.

People suspected of having bowel cancer are facing waits of three months for tests when they should have them within a maximum of six weeks, the latest NHS waiting time figures show.

In March almost half the patients referred for the disease to Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust had to wait more than the six weeks set out in the NHS constitution. In all 144 (49.3%) of the 292 patients that month had to ensure waits of several months, and 39 of them were kept waiting for more than 13 weeks.

Campigners warned that patients could die as a result of the delays in patients undergoing either a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy, the two tests used to detect bowel cancer.

Prof Colin Rees, vice-president of the British Society of Gastroenterology, said: “By testing the right people at the right time we can save lives and stop people dying needlessly.”

In March 24% of hospital trusts in England missed the six-week target for colonoscopy, which meant that 1,121 patients were kept waiting. In the same month, 18% of hospitals breached the six-week target for flexi-sigmoidoscopy.

Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said the waiting times “present a worrying picture for patients”. She identified a lack of diagnotic staff as a key problem and lamented the latest of several delays in Health Education England publishing a plan, first promised in 2015, to boost the NHS cancer workforce.

About 41,000 people a year in the UK develop bowel cancer and around 16,000 die from it. It is Britain’s fourth most deadly cancer after lung, breast and prostate.

Meanwhile, NHS performance against its key waiting times targets is now the highest it has been for five years, NHS Englnd’s latest statistics show.

During 2015-16, 2.5 million people were not treated within four hours of arriving in A&E, and a total of 362,687 patients did not receive planned care in hospital – usually an operation – within 18 weeks.

Another 26,113 waited longer than 62 days for supposedly urgent cancer treatment after being referred by their GP, while 985,583 people with a life-threatening condition waited more than the maximum eight minutes for an ambulance to respond to an 999 call.

“These figures reveal the dismal human cost of the NHS crisis,” said Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman. “Millions of patients are waiting in distress and anxiety, but Theresa may doesn’t care.”

Responding to the latest monthly statistics, a Conservative spokesman said: “These figures show A&E performance has improved a great deal since the equivalent time last year. Waiting times for an operation again got shorter in March, and crucially patient outcomes continue to improve. Breast cancer survival is at its highest ever level.”

The figures came as the Health Foundation warned that the care patients receive is under threat because of the NHS’s unprecedented financial squeeze.

In a report, the thinktank says: “It is difficult to see how the intense financial pressures on all NHS and social care services will not threaten the quality of care in the near future if nothing changes.

“As OECD analyses have shown, the UK’s performance on quality is middling when compared with other OECD countries, but then so are our funding levels.”

NHS patients waiting months for vital bowel cancer tests, figures show

Antibiotics overuse could increase bowel cancer risk, study finds

The overuse of antibiotics could increase a person’s risk of developing bowel cancer, the findings of a US study suggest.

Research published in medical journal Gut found extended use of antibiotics significantly increased the chance of polyp formation in the colon, a precursor of bowel cancer.

The findings add weight to emerging evidence that the type and diversity of bacteria in the gut may have a key role in the development of cancer, according to the authors of the study.

An Australian bowel cancer expert, Associate Professor Graham Newstead, the head of the colorectal unit at the Prince of Wales private hospital and director of Bowel Cancer Australia, said the research had “credence”.

“We know already that if you take antibiotics you frequently get diarrhoea,” Newstead said.

This happened because the antibiotic killed some of the normal bacteria, leading to an overgrowth of the abnormal bacteria in the gut.

But Newstead said the study did not look at the effect of antibiotics on the colon and caution must be taken.

US researchers monitored the health of more than 120,000 nurses, aged between 30 and 55, who were part of the the Nurses Health Study launched in 1976.

Between 2004 and 2010, 1,194 abnormal growths in the colon and rectum were diagnosed.

Those who had taken antibiotics for two months or more between the ages of 20 and 39 were 36% more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma, or polyp, compared with those who had not taken antibiotics for any extended period in their 20s and 30s.

Similarly, women who had taken antibiotics for two months or more during their 40s and 50s were 69% more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma.

And those who had taken these drugs for 15 days or more between the ages of 20 and 39, and between the ages of 40 and 59, were 73% more likely to be diagnosed with an adenoma.

“It does seem to indicate that people who have too many antibiotics might be at more risk of of getting polyps than people who have less of them,” Newstead said.

“And, remembering that not all polyps turn to cancer but the cancer comes from the polyps. If you have more polyps or tendency to get polyps then maybe you are slightly more at risk of getting cancer.”

The message to be taken from the study was not to use antibiotics for a “tickle” in the throat or a cold, Newstead said.

Antibiotics overuse could increase bowel cancer risk, study finds

New screening test cuts bowel cancer risk by a third, study finds

A one-off screening test being introduced across the NHS cuts the risk of developing bowel cancer by a third, a long-term study has found.

The test, which is being rolled out across England, will invite men and women to have bowel scope screening around the time of their 55th birthday.

This is in addition to the current test from the age of 60, the faecal occult blood test (FOB), which is posted to people’s homes.

FOB detects blood hidden in small samples of faeces, with further tests recommended if blood is detected.

Research published in the medical journal the Lancet has found that the bowel scope test reduces the risk of all cases of the cancer by a third. Experts predict it will save thousands of lives every year.

It works by threading a tiny camera attached to a thin flexible tube into the lower part of the bowel. As well as detecting tumours, it helps spot small growths, called polyps, on the bowel wall. If left untreated polyps can become cancerous, and any found during a bowel scope can usually be removed immediately.

Bowel scope screening will not detect cancers higher up in the bowel and patients may need a colonoscopy if they have persistent symptoms.

But the research found the new test was able to prevent 35% of bowel cancers overall and 40% of deaths.

In the lower bowel, the test prevented more than half of potential cancers from developing in that area.

Researchers from Imperial College London followed more than 170,000 people for 17 years on average, of whom more than 40,000 had the bowel scope test.

There are more than 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, and about 16,000 deaths.

Prof Wendy Atkin, Cancer Research UK’s bowel screening expert and lead author at Imperial, said: “Although no screening test is perfect, this study shows that bowel scope is effective in reducing cancer deaths for at least 17 years.

“Bowel cancer can be prevented. And the bowel scope screening test is a great way to reduce the number of people diagnosed with the disease so it’s vital that no one misses out on the opportunity to get the test.”

Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s head of health information, said: “Like other types of screening, bowel scope is meant for people without symptoms. It’s a great way to help reduce the number of people developing or dying from bowel cancer, but it can’t pick up everything.

“So it’s still important to take part in the rest of the bowel screening programme and not ignore the home testing kits when they arrive.”

The government estimates the bowel scope test will take at least another three years before it will be offered to everyone eligible across England. This is in order to train specialist staff to carry out the tests. Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet committed to introducing the test.

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research. About half of bowel cancers occur in the lower part of the bowel and the rectum – the area covered by the bowel scope test.

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said: “This report is really encouraging – prevention and early diagnosis are key to improving outcomes, and this new screening test could help us save thousands more lives.

“Cancer survival is at its highest rate ever, but more must be done: we are investing £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity for all cancers, so we can save more from this devastating disease.”

New screening test cuts bowel cancer risk by a third, study finds

New screening test cuts bowel cancer risk by a third, study finds

A one-off screening test being introduced across the NHS cuts the risk of developing bowel cancer by a third, a long-term study has found.

The test, which is being rolled out across England, will invite men and women to have bowel scope screening around the time of their 55th birthday.

This is in addition to the current test from the age of 60, the faecal occult blood test (FOB), which is posted to people’s homes.

FOB detects blood hidden in small samples of faeces, with further tests recommended if blood is detected.

Research published in the medical journal the Lancet has found that the bowel scope test reduces the risk of all cases of the cancer by a third. Experts predict it will save thousands of lives every year.

It works by threading a tiny camera attached to a thin flexible tube into the lower part of the bowel. As well as detecting tumours, it helps spot small growths, called polyps, on the bowel wall. If left untreated polyps can become cancerous, and any found during a bowel scope can usually be removed immediately.

Bowel scope screening will not detect cancers higher up in the bowel and patients may need a colonoscopy if they have persistent symptoms.

But the research found the new test was able to prevent 35% of bowel cancers overall and 40% of deaths.

In the lower bowel, the test prevented more than half of potential cancers from developing in that area.

Researchers from Imperial College London followed more than 170,000 people for 17 years on average, of whom more than 40,000 had the bowel scope test.

There are more than 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, and about 16,000 deaths.

Prof Wendy Atkin, Cancer Research UK’s bowel screening expert and lead author at Imperial, said: “Although no screening test is perfect, this study shows that bowel scope is effective in reducing cancer deaths for at least 17 years.

“Bowel cancer can be prevented. And the bowel scope screening test is a great way to reduce the number of people diagnosed with the disease so it’s vital that no one misses out on the opportunity to get the test.”

Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s head of health information, said: “Like other types of screening, bowel scope is meant for people without symptoms. It’s a great way to help reduce the number of people developing or dying from bowel cancer, but it can’t pick up everything.

“So it’s still important to take part in the rest of the bowel screening programme and not ignore the home testing kits when they arrive.”

The government estimates the bowel scope test will take at least another three years before it will be offered to everyone eligible across England. This is in order to train specialist staff to carry out the tests. Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet committed to introducing the test.

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research. About half of bowel cancers occur in the lower part of the bowel and the rectum – the area covered by the bowel scope test.

The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said: “This report is really encouraging – prevention and early diagnosis are key to improving outcomes, and this new screening test could help us save thousands more lives.

“Cancer survival is at its highest rate ever, but more must be done: we are investing £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity for all cancers, so we can save more from this devastating disease.”

New screening test cuts bowel cancer risk by a third, study finds

Concern over bowel cancer patients with symptoms year before diagnosis

A fifth of bowel cancer patients who received an emergency diagnosis in one year in England had characteristic symptoms the year before, suggesting their disease could have been caught earlier, researchers say.

With the majority of patients having seen a doctor in the 12 months before their diagnosis, whether emergency or non-emergency, the authors of the new study say multiple factors could be behind the finding.

“The sample [of patients] we have analysed come from more than 200 GP practices, so this suggests that it is not a problem of specific doctors, it suggests that it is a system-wide problem,” said Cristina Renzi, lead researcher of the study from University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Emergency presentations are associated with worse patient-reported outcomes and disruptions to hospital services,” she added. “Cancer survival after an emergency colorectal cancer diagnosis is also substantially lower.”

With the study also showing that more than half of bowel cancer patients who receive an emergency diagnosis had no record of relevant symptoms up to a month beforehand, Renzi believes more needs to be done to support GPs, while patients should be encouraged to discuss all symptoms of concern with their doctor.

Writing in the British Journal of Cancer, the researchers, from four British universities, described how they analysed GP records and cancer registration data from more than 1,600 patients over the age of 25 who had been diagnosed with either colon or rectal cancer between 2005 and 2006.

While Renzi admits that the situation might have changed since the data was collected, the proportion of emergency diagnoses made for rectal cancers, she said, has remained fairly constant over the last decade, while those for colon cancers has dropped slightly.

Of the 1,029 colon cancer patients, 35% were diagnosed in an emergency situation, such as A&E or an emergency GP referral, compared to 15% of the 577 with rectal cancer. Emergency diagnoses were more common among women, those aged 80 or over and, for rectal cancer, those with a low socio-economic status.

When researchers examined up to five years of medical history for the colorectal cancer patients, whether diagnosed in an emergency situation or not, they discovered that more than 95% had seen a doctor in the previous 12 months. “In both cases it seems that they have been to their doctor multiple times and increasingly so the year before diagnosis,” said Renzi.

Those diagnosed in non-emergency situations were more likely to have symptoms typical of bowel cancer, including “red flag” symptoms such as rectal bleeding, anaemia or a change in bowel habits. But, the authors report, 18% of colon cancer patients and 23% of rectal cancer patients diagnosed in emergency situations also showed at least one red flag symptom in the 12 months before their diagnosis.

That, the authors said, suggests that around 20% of colorectal cancer patients could have been diagnosed earlier. That they were not, says Renzi, could be down to a number of factors.

“It might be that the doctor has referred them to have a diagnostic test and maybe the cancer progressed more rapidly; it might be that the patient had to come back and they didn’t,” said Renzi. “For now, we haven’t been able to really understand what went wrong after they were seen with the typical red flag symptoms.”

With many of those given an emergency diagnosis showing no red flag symptoms or other relevant signs, such as weight loss, Renzi said it was important that patients talk to their GP about all symptoms they are experiencing, while doctors need access to specialists and diagnostic facilities.

“The GPs need more support to deal with patients who present with non-specific symptoms in order to be able to diagnose cancer earlier, even in those cases,” she said.

Concern over bowel cancer patients with symptoms year before diagnosis

Gluten-free foods can relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome | Letters

Arwa Mahdawi (My plea for gluten tolerance, 7 September) appears to be unaware that many people requesting gluten-free foods are suffering from food intolerances. Such sufferers do not have coeliac disease, which is an example of food hypersensitivity. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is such a condition that can be much relieved by the low-Fodmap (fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) diet as described by Monash University, based on the work of Dr Sue Shepherd and Dr Peter Gibson.

The research includes the group of poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates, which include lactose, fructose, polyols and fructans. Fructans include many wheat-based products. Therefore relief of IBS symptoms can be eased by trying gluten-free foods.
Rosie Keegan
London

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

Gluten-free foods can relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome | Letters

Bowel cancer: 29% of UK hospitals not following guidance on testing younger patients

Almost 50 hospitals around the country are failing to provide crucial screening tests for younger people diagnosed with bowel cancer, according to a leading cancer research charity.

People under the age of 50 who are diagnosed with bowel cancer are not being tested for Lynch syndrome in 29% of hospitals around the country. Lynch syndrome is an inherited disorder, and testing for it helps detect those at greater risk of recurrence, helps inform treatment options, and identifies those with family members who may also be at risk of bowel cancer.

In 2014, the Royal College of Pathologists changed its guidance to make the testing of bowel cancer patients for Lynch syndrome mandatory after diagnosis. But research conducted by Bowel Cancer UK and the Royal College of Pathologists and released on Monday shows that this advice is not being followed.

Related: Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes – WHO

The percentage of hospitals that tested younger bowel cancer patients for Lynch syndrome varied across the UK. In Northern Ireland, 100% of hospitals that responded to a freedom of information request were conducting the screening. In Scotland, 93% of hospitals were offering the screening. This fell to 69% in England and just 29% in Wales.

Even in those hospitals that did carry out the test on younger patients, only 56% did so automatically, without prompting from the multi-disciplinary team, in accordance with the guidelines.

These numbers were an improvement on the first time such data was requested. In 2015, Bowel Cancer UK issued FOI requests to all hospitals across the UK and discovered that only 49% were testing patients under the age of 50 for the syndrome. This has increased to 71% in 2016.

Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer and the fourth most common form of cancer. While most of those diagnosed with bowel cancer are over the age of 50, more than 2,400 people under 50 are found to have the condition each year, and there has been a 25% increase in the number of under-50s diagnosed with the disease in the past 10 years. Sixty per cent of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with bowel cancer are diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, when the chances of survival are lower.

Asha Kaur, policy manager at Bowel Cancer UK, urged hospitals to work together. “The guidelines have now been in place two years and there are still 40 hospitals in England alone not doing the test at all, plus a huge variation in approach to testing across the UK.”

Kaur urged those with a family history of Lynch syndrome or a family history of bowel cancer to go to their GPs and ask about testing for the disorder.

Bowel cancer: 29% of UK hospitals not following guidance on testing younger patients

How to Deal with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Naturally

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome can take place to any individual. Normally, men and women who endure from IBS don’t have a healthful diet regime and/or are exposed to stressors frequently. Then, there are also these who have IBS due to foods allergy symptoms that they are not conscious of. And in extreme circumstances, folks who have depression and/or anxiety disorder can also be victims of IBS.

Do note that IBS is distinct from LBM (Loose Bowel Motion or, in layman’s terms, diarrhea). Although each are characterized by diarrhea and stomach cramps, IBS has other signs and symptoms, such as bloating, constipation, fuel, mucus in the stool, and irregular bowel movement.

It is tempting to treat IBS making use of prescription medicines and more than-the-counter medications because these can give you a fast resolve — but why not go the organic route and depart individuals chemical substances behind? Plus, you lower your probabilities of encountering side results from taking these capsules.

Here are some suggestions on IBS natural treatment method

1. Find out how to deal with your tension much better

When you are stressed out, your hormones not only go haywire your stomach’s acidity will also shoot up. When that occurs, your digestive technique (especially the little intestine) is affected negatively, hence leading to IBS.

Not absolutely everyone is outfitted with the right disposition and mindset to deal with pressure appropriately. At times, you get so stressed that you fail to see how you can get out of that abyss you are in. The remedy: Attempt meditation and other comforting methods to support you cope with pressure far better. Deep breathing exercises as quickly as you wake up and just before you go to sleep at night can aid.

Shifting your point of view is a fantastic way to deal with tension greater, too. As an alternative of dwelling in negativity, keep telling yourself that you are more powerful than you think — and for that reason, you will be ready to deal with nerve-racking folks and conditions much better.

One more IBS all-natural therapy is to anticipate which triggers anxiety. How do you do this? Commence trying to keep a journal (it doesn’t matter if it is a handwritten or “digital” 1) and jot down the demanding incidents, events, and folks that you encounter. Undertaking so will help you determine these IBS tension-associated brings about — and learn how to cope with them, if not steer clear of them fully.

2. Uncover out if you’re allergic to specified types of foods

People have this preconceived notion that allergic reactions appear as early as infancy or childhood. However, the reality is that some allergies build in excess of time. For example, you could have been fine eating seafood just before, yet out of the blue you’re breaking out in hives and experiencing IBS after consuming a seafood-laden pasta dish. If this takes place when or twice, that may be okay, but if it keeps recurring, then you may have to get tested for meals allergy symptoms.

If you really do not have the spending budget — or time — to get by yourself examined, consider getting rid of seafood, nuts, eggs and other dairy items, and other common foods allergens (such as soy, yeast, dairy, and gluten) from your diet. Stay away from these normal allergens for twelve weeks, then reintroduce them yet again one by one particular so you can narrow down which ones are triggering the allergy symptoms.

3. Eat wholesome

Generating your diet a lot more nutritious is an efficient IBS all-natural treatment. Include fiber-wealthy food items this kind of as leafy greens and fruits into your diet, but don’t shock your program with as well a lot of these if you’re not employed to eating fruits and veggies on a regular basis. The very best way is to increase the sum of fiber steadily.

Make it a level to frequently drink peppermint or ginger tea, which are the two recognized to soothe stomach and digestive problems. IBS can also strip away great bacteria (which you need to have to hold IBS at bay) from your digestive system, so load up with meals that incorporate very good bacteria, this kind of as cultured (coconut) yogurt, miso, and sauerkraut.

Sources: Greatest Wellness, Dr Hyman, and Naturopathic.

Seeking for a way to live a wholesome life-style whilst eating scrumptious, colorful meals and losing or maintaining weight the healthier way, click here

Really don’t forget to download my Free of charge Book “Amy’s House Kitchen”, packed with my family’s favourite healthy, clean and delicious recipes. Or connect with me on Facebook or Google+

How to Deal with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Naturally

BBC presenter George Alagiah diagnosed with bowel cancer

“Until this kind of time as George is well sufficient to return to function the BBC News at Six and GMT on BBC Globe News will be presented as typical by familiar faces from BBC News.”

Alagiah has been married to his wife, Frances, for 30 years and they have two grown-up sons.

The Sri-Lankan born presenter has spoken previously about his admiration for health-related care in Britain, saying: “The NHS is the civilising and defining institution of British life.

“I enjoy it as a former foreign correspondent, possessing come from the bad globe to the wealthy planet, and obtaining spent most of my working lifestyle in nations the place individuals want they had some thing like the NHS.”

Bowel cancer is the third most common sort of cancer. If diagnosed in its earliest phases, the opportunity of surviving a additional five years is 90 per cent and a total remedy is usually attainable, according to NHS statistics.

BBC presenter George Alagiah diagnosed with bowel cancer