Scan that could spot different types of bowel cancer faster

THE good news is that thanks to screening and new treatments, survival rates from most cancers have shot up.

Unfortunately the rates of some cancers are still rising, particularly in younger groups. One of the most striking examples is bowel cancer. A recent paper in the journal Annals of Oncology predicted that deaths from bowel cancer in young people in the UK this year will be 26per cent higher in men and nearly 39 per cent higher in women than they were in 2018.

The researchers from the University of Milan blame surging rates of obesity, alongside heavy alcohol drinking and low physical activity. But sometimes, of course, it is just bad luck. The best way to protect yourself is to catch it early, so if you’ve been sent a home test by the NHS (those aged 50 to 74 years old in Scotland are automatically sent a test every two years and those who are older can request one), use it.

The test involves collecting a small sample of poo and sending it to a lab where they check it for tiny amounts of blood. If it shows signs of blood, you’ll be referred for a colonoscopy to examine inside your bowel (and then possibly a biopsy). I’ve had this done, and while it’s an important test, I can’t say I enjoyed the process.

And so I was pleased to see new research by the University of Glasgow showing that in future it may be possible to use a PET scan in place of doing a biopsy. This showed that PET scans can accurately diagnose different types of bowel cancer faster, which could help match patients to the best treatment for them. Another bit of good news is that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered how early colon cancers manage to evade our immune system. They do this by making a protein, SOX17, which is normally produced by a foetus to protect itself from being attacked by its mother’s immune system. Due to a mutation, bowel cells start to make it, too — if scientists can find a way to block SOX17, it could offer a new way to treat early-stage cancers.