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

doi:10.1136/bmj.b4434

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Adrian O’Dowd

¹London

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 …