17.12.12
Breaking the taboo
The National Bowel Cancer Audit has found that fewer patients are dying after surgery for bowel cancer. A rise in keyhole surgery has been praised for the advancement.
However, the same audit has raised serious concerns over the amount of emergency admissions still coming into hospitals. Over 20% of bowel cancer patients are admitted as an emergency, experiencing severe symptoms and over a third of emergency admissions are beyond the help of surgeons as they are considered inoperable.
The audit has called for an end to the taboo of bowel cancer, which can stop so many people from getting help in time for life-saving surgery.
Have we been too prudish in Britain to raise a serious awareness of bowel cancer? If so, we are damaging the lives of many people.
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