Since 2002, statutory health insurances in Germany have offered an endoscopic examination of the colon (colonoscopy) free of charge for all insured persons from the age of 55. Germany was the first country to make nationwide endoscopic screening for bowel cancer a part of its statutory early cancer detection program.

Research by scientists in France has shown for the first time that identifying patterns of gene expression can be used to predict response to treatment in patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer.

Changing the approach to genetic screening for cancers in Australia could effectively halve deaths caused by an inherited form of bowel cancer, says a University of Melbourne expert.

Application of modulated radiotherapy in the treatment of bowel cancer can enhance the results obtained by means of other conventional therapies. The technique has managed to apply the radiation in a way most adapted to the tumoral volume and risk areas, while minimising irradiation to healthy tissue.

New findings provide evidence that people who eat a lot of red and processed meats have greater risk of developing bowel and lung cancer than people who eat small quantities. The research by Amanda Cross and colleagues at the US National Cancer Institute is published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine.

Bowel cancer screening halves emergency admissions for the disease and significantly cuts death rates, reveal the fifth year results from one of the first UK pilot sites.

A major study has found new evidence which links alcohol consumption with bowel cancer. The findings from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) suggest that people who drink one or two glasses of wine or beer a day increase their risk of developing the disease by about 10 per cent.