Published 29 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4434
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4434

News

National audit shows improving survival rates from bowel cancer but worrying regional variations in case management

Adrian O’Dowd

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Survival rates from bowel cancer in England and Wales are improving, but variation in different regions is a cause for concern, states a national audit report published this week.

The audit, produced by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) and the NHS Information Centre, paints an improving picture for patients with this form of cancer, but shows worrying regional variations in how cases are managed.

Bowel cancer is the third most common form of cancer and causes the deaths of about 16 000 people each year in the United Kingdom.

In England 146 of 153 (95%) eligible trusts and all of the 12 eligible trusts in Wales took part in the audit.

The report tracked and compared the care provided for 41 432 patients in these trusts over two periods—April 2006 to July 2007, and August 2007 to July 2008. Data was analysed by the Northern . . . [Full text of this article]


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