Can I reduce my risk of bowel cancer?
Can I reduce my risk of bowel cancer?
Share:
A new study has shown more than 90% accuracy in predicting bowel cancer risk, based on a high-risk group of people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), over the next five years. People with IBD, such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, are known to have an increased chance of developing bowel cancer, but not all will develop it.
Routine screenings for pre-cancerous growths in the gut are currently offered to people with IBD and, if found, suggest a 30% chance of developing bowel cancer within 10 years. However, the new study, funded by Cancer Research UK and published in the journal Gut, discovered that DNA alterations in these pre-cancerous cells, when analysed by an algorithm, can predict with more than 90% accuracy who will develop bowel cancer within the next five years.
Researchers hope that this method could eventually lead to a straightforward blood test to identify IBD patients who are most at risk. “For people without a condition like Crohn’s or colitis, there are many lifestyle changes that can help reduce the risk of bowel cancer.”.
So, here are 8 ways to reduce your risk of bowel cancer…. 1. Stop smoking. “Seven out of 100 bowel cancers in the UK are linked to smoking and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked a day, so stopping smoking is an important way to reduce your risk,” advises Sturt.
Share:
More for You
Top Followed
You Might Also Like
