Locals are invited to attend a free health seminar at Good Hope Hospital on bowel cancer, the third most common cancer nationally and second most common cancer in women.

Lead consultants along with members of the bowel cancer specialist nursing team will be presenting during the two hour lecture and will discuss the causes and symptoms of bowel cancer, who is most at risk of developing the disease and how it is treated.

In 2009 alone, there were over 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer registered in the UK.  Approximately 72% of bowel cancer cases develop in people who are 65 or over.

Karen Mallows, specialist screening practitioner in bowel cancer says: “Anybody aged between 60-74 can take part in the bowel cancer screening programme.  Anyone in this age group can complete a simple test kit and this can be done in the privacy of their home and sent away for testing.  If blood is detected in the sample the patient will be sent for an appointment with a specialist nurse, which may lead to a colonoscopy, which is where a camera is used to look at the bowel being carried out. This test can detect bowel cancer and treatment can be offered.  The other benefit of the colonoscopy is that the risk of developing bowel cancer can be reduced. That is because growths in the bowel which can become cancerous can be detected and removed before they have a chance to grow into a cancer.

“Anybody wishing to know more about screening should attend the health seminar where the screening nurses will be on hand to answer any questions and bowel cancer and the screening process.”

Seminar organiser, membership and community engagement manager, Sandra White, said: “We hope people will come along to the seminar and leave feeling a lot more knowledgeable about bowel cancer and the signs and symptoms to look out for.   Attendees will have the opportunity to ask our experts questions and to discuss their own thoughts and experiences of the disease. The Hospital is committed to educating the public about their health.”