A free health seminar is being held at Good Hope Hospital to allow people to find out more about bowel cancer.

Consultant colorectal surgeon Mark Chapman will be speaking about the condition on Wednesday 21 March at the hospital’s Education Centre in Sutton Coldfield. The event starts at 5.30pm and runs until 7.30pm.

Bowel or colorectal cancer is the fourth commonest cancer in the western world – after breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.

There are about 42 000 new diagnoses of bowel cancer each year in the UK. Following diagnosis, there is a 57% chance of still being alive 10 years later. Experts believe that about half the cases of bowel cancer are preventable.

Mr Chapman said:

“I will discuss the symptoms and diagnosis of bowel cancer and how it is mainly elderly people who suffer from this disease. The mainstay of treatment is surgical excision of the tumour, however great strides are being made in organ preservation techniques especially for rectal cancer and so avoiding the need for a stoma.

“The government is investing heavily in screening programmes for bowel cancer and I will talk about the importance of the public taking up these opportunities.

“Finally, I will talk about new developments in treating patients with advanced bowel cancer allowing patients to live with their disease rather than dying from it.”

Mark Chapman is a specialist in colorectal diseases at the Trust where he has been a consultant for 20 years having been appointed to Good Hope Hospital in 1998. He was the Trust colorectal cancer lead for many years before becoming the Trust Cancer Lead. He has held a number of senior managerial posts and is currently chair of the Specialised Colorectal Clinical Reference Group for NHS England.

The event is part of the Heart of England Trust’s membership health seminar programme.

To book a place on the seminar please contact Sandra White, membership and engagement manager on 0121 424 1218 or email membership@heartofengland.nhs.uk

The Trust runs 10 health talks a year to help raise awareness of a range of health conditions, as well as providing information about the treatment and support that is available.

Visit www.heartofengland.nhs.uk/membership to find out more about upcoming talks and about becoming a member of the Trust.