Podcasts about bowel cancer

A 42-year-old man has saved himself a cancer diagnosis after buying his own bowel cancer testing kit, but not everyone thinks private self-testing is a good idea. Field correspondent Charlotte Cook reports.

Bowel cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in people under 50 years of age, but little is known about patients' experiences in New Zealand, according to a new report. Dr Chris Jackson is a medical oncologist and Professor of Cancer Medicine and one of the authors of the report spoke to John Campbell.

A daily low dose of aspirin could significantly reduce the risk of bowel cancer in people with Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that increases the likelihood of developing certain cancers.   In this episode, we explore the findings from the landmark CaPP3 trial, hear from a participant living with Lynch syndrome, and discuss how genomics could help shift healthcare from treatment to prevention.  Our host, Sharon Jones is joined by:  Dr Katie Snape, Principal Clinician for Population Health at Genomics England  Professor Sir John Burn, Professor of Clinical Genetics at Newcastle University  Drew Hyde, participant in the Cancer Prevention Programme (CaPP3)  Links:  Listen to: How can genomics help us understand cancer?  "I think knowing is always a good thing. And obviously, I wish I'd known earlier, and then, I could have taken more measures earlier on. So I think knowledge is definitely a good thing. And it would be great if more people could be tested or could find out if they were carriers at an early age, I think."  You can download the transcript or read it below. [00:00:00] Sharon: Welcome to Behind the Genes. In today's episode, we'll explore the research which shows how a low dose of aspirin can halve the risk of bowel cancer in people with Lynch syndrome. We'll hear about the real-life impact of living with the condition, and look at how genomics can help shape a more preventative approach to care in the future. [00:00:20] I'm Sharon Jones, and to help us unpack all of that, I'm joined by our guests, Dr. Katie Snape, principal clinician for population health at Genomics England; Sir John Burn, professor of clinical genetics at Newcastle University; and Drew Hyde, a participant in the Cancer Prevention Programme, which is also known as the CaPP3 trial. [00:00:42] So to start with the basics, Katie, can you walk us through what cancer is in simple terms? [00:00:50] Katie: Sure, Sharon. So, our body is made up of cells. Those are the building blocks that, that make us as humans and other creatures and plants. And our cells need to keep dividing throughout our lifetime as our bodies are growing and working normally. [00:01:06] And so we need to have processes in place in our body where our cells can divide, but then also stop dividing when we don't need them to carry on dividing. What happens in a cancer cell is basically that cell becomes abnormal, and it doesn't follow the normal checks and balances and rules of cell division. [00:01:23] So it starts to divide and grow uncontrollably, and it can start to invade other tissues and obviously, that can cause serious consequences. [00:01:33] Sharon: We'll hear a lot more from Dr. Katie Snape in this episode. But before we move on, I just wanted to flag that there was an episode of our Genomics 101 explainer series with Katie dedicated to helping us get to grips with how genomics can help us understand and diagnose cancer. [00:01:47] Do go and check that out. We'll put a link to that in the episode description. [00:01:54] So the World Health Organization estimates between 30 to 50% of all cancers are preventable. So, Katie, when we talk about cancer being preventable, what does that actually mean? And what's an example of cancer prevention that people might already know? [00:02:11] Katie: Yeah. So some cancers are due to chance or just mistakes happening as our cells copy. [00:02:19] Other cancers are because there has been damage to the genetic information within the cell that can be caused by certain things that can cause damage to DNA. So for example, a sort of obvious answer would be skin cancer. Skin cancers can be caused by sunlight, the, the UV light in the sun, and particularly if we burn our skin or, or get sun damage to our skin, increases the chance of us developing a skin cancer. [00:02:44] So you can think of lots of other examples such as cigarette smoking and lung cancer, and so we know that there are a number of different risk factors that increase the chance of our cells developing damage and becoming abnormal cells and growing uncontrollably. So when we talk about prevention, we might think, well, could we reduce some of those risk factors and therefore reduce the chance of those cells getting damaged and becoming cancer cells? [00:03:10] So I gave the example of skin cancer. We might put sun cream on if we're going out in the midday sun, for example. That reduces the damage of the UV light onto our skin cells. Or we might help people to go into a smoking prevention programme or, you know, other risk factors, such as we know that being very overweight can increase the chance of cancer. [00:03:31] We might help people get into more exercise regimes or improve people's diets. So those are the sorts of things that we might do sort of for environmental risk factors. But we also know, particularly in this context, that sometimes people are born, they carry genetic changes within their cells that they're born with, that are inherited, that run through families, and those can also increase the chance of some cancers developing. [00:03:56] And for those people at higher genetic risk, then we might look to other ways that we might reduce that risk. We can't change the genetic changes in their cells, but we might be able to put things in place to reduce the risk for those individuals, and that might be medication, it might be surgery, or there could be other things that we might be able to offer. [00:04:15] Sharon: Yeah, and with that in mind, is there anything more, you know, that you can share about some of those risk factors that someone is more likely to develop cancer? [00:04:25] Katie: Yeah. So actually, the, the biggest risk factor for developing cancer is age. The older we get, the more times our cells have divided, the more chance there is of a copying mistake that, that, that can cause that cell to become abnormal and start growing uncontrollably. [00:04:41] And that's why cancer becomes more common the older we get. We obviously can't change our aging process. Then, as I've said, sometimes we're born with certain specific inherited factors that increase the risk. That might be one big high-risk genetic factor, such as having a cancer gene that's important for, for that process of cell division that isn't working properly. [00:05:04] Or it could be that we have multiple lower genetic risk factors that can kind of add up together to increase the risk. And those often interplay with some of those environmental factors that we've talked about, like smoking, for example, or weight, or alcohol or other things like that. So most cancers are due to aging, and then there's a sort of interplay of genetic factors, but environmental factors as well. [00:05:30] Sharon: That's really interesting to understand. And the focus of this podcast is sort of looking at kind of Lynch syndrome and what findings have come out around aspirin and having a low dose of aspirin. So I want to kind of explore what Lynch syndrome is and, and then bring in Drew to talk about his experience of having Lynch syndrome and how he got involved in the trials themselves. [00:05:49] So from what I understand, Lynch syndrome is a genetic condition that can make some people more likely to have the chances of developing into bowel cancer. And Drew, this is your opportunity to sort of talk about what that's been like living with Lynch syndrome. And, you know, I'd like to understand more about your story and how it came about that you discovered that you had Lynch syndrome, and to share with our listeners your journey. [00:06:13] Drew: Yep. So in my case, I discovered I had the colon cancer before I discovered I was a Lynch syndrome carrier Basically, at the age of 50, I noticed some change in my health. You know, I was becoming a little bit more tired. My bowel movements had changed or whatever. So, I went to the GP and the GP basically said, "Well, you're probably too young for cancer, so let's look at other alternatives." [00:06:37] And I had blood tests and I had low iron, so I was on iron tablets for three months and whatever. Then eventually I went back and finally the GP said, "Well, let's try a colonoscopy." And the colonoscopy revealed that I did actually have colon cancer. And then very quickly I had surgery and, uh, then following that, I kind of asked the question, "Well, why me?" [00:06:59] You know, I'm only 50, 51. Yeah. You know, why me? [00:07:02] Drew: And basically, I was told, "Well, it's probably genetics." And then I was referred to, you know, St George's and Katie and I had the test and discovered that I was actually a Lynch syndrome carrier, and that's why, you know, I'd got the colon cancer at the age of 50, so. [00:07:17] Sharon: I mean, that's quite a journey. I mean, how did you feel when you're already on one pathway and then having to kind of find out more, you know, what was your experiences? What was the impact on your life? How did you, how did you feel? [00:07:27] Drew: I think I was lucky in that I had a very good surgeon. I had surgery very quickly, so that was the first hurdle. [00:07:32] Then I had to go on to chemotherapy, and the chemotherapy obviously is far worse than any surgery or anything else that comes before or after. But having got through that, then I went through the St George's onto the Lynch syndrome system. So, the most important thing then really was to basically identify what that meant for me, but also because it was an inherited characteristic, what it meant for my family. [00:07:57] One thing that was interesting, and I say, you know, the, the GP was saying, "Well, you're too young to have cancer," is that there wasn't any history of cancer in my family, you know, looking at older relatives. So, you know, to be fair to the GP, that wasn't an obvious marker. So basically, yeah, it was let's, you know, find out what it means now going forward. [00:08:21] Sharon: So, can you just take us back to when you were diagnosed with Lynch syndrome? What sort of guidance were you given at the time about managing your cancer risk? [00:08:30] Drew: Well, following the surgery, I was given various statistics which were fairly grim on what your percentage survival rate were in three years, five years, 10 years based on the surgery, whatever. [00:08:39] And that was kind of a bit harrowing. But, you know, assuming I'd get through five years, I felt it was, my chances were quite good. As for myself living with, living with Lynch syndrome, that, you know, I was aware that having had the colon cancer, I then had increased risk of other cancers. So since then, I've been on a screening programme, and I have colonoscopies or gastroscopies every year or two years. [00:09:04] So that's been very good. So, I believe now that if any other cancers were to appear, I would probably know very early on because they would be detected through a screening process before they got to a point where they would be, you know, maybe too difficult to resolve, so. So that's-- I think the screening programme, has been very, very good. [00:09:23] The main issue for me was what it meant for my family, being a genetic thing. So very quickly, my children, who were teenagers at the time, were both tested, and they went through some counselling with Katie beforehand, you know, about what it would mean for them to get a positive or negative result. [00:09:42] Unfortunately, my daughter was tested as negative, but my son was tested as positive, so he's now on the same cancer screening programme, and has colonoscopies every two years. So yeah. The mystery really, though, is where I inherited it from because my father died when I was very young. My mother was in a care home at the time, and I wanted to get her tested. [00:10:07] And at the time, her GP wouldn't test her on the basis that she was unable to give consent. But fortunately, I had power of attorney, and we could persuade him to do the test. But she tested negative. So I'm assuming I inherited it from my father's side. But most of my grandparents on that side of the family lived into their nineties without any apparent cancers. [00:10:32] So it's still a bit of a mystery how I inherited it, but what was important for me was to know which side of the family I'd inherited it from because obviously with cousins and whatever on different sides of the family, I wanted to be able to tell them what the situation was. My brother also tested negative, which was a positive. [00:10:54] So at the moment, it's just my son and I that have the defective gene. [00:10:59] Sharon: I'm sorry to hear that about your son, but does it- [00:11:01] Drew: Well, well, I mean, he, you know, he has to go through a colonoscopy every couple of years, which, you know, obviously is not a pleasant experience. But at least he knows that, you know, the first sign of any problem, the medics will be aware of it, and he'll be able to react. [00:11:16] Sharon: Has it changed your outlook on life, having this window in possibly knowing stuff or not knowing stuff? How has that affected you and, and your son as well? [00:11:25] Drew: I think knowing is always a good thing. And obviously, I wish I'd known earlier, and then, I could have taken more measures earlier on. So, I think knowledge is definitely a good thing. And it would be great if more people could be tested or could find out if they were carriers at an early age, I think. [00:11:42] Sharon: Yeah. That is really important. And moving into about the trial more broadly, scientists have known that there's been a link between cancer and aspirin for some time, with fewer cancers observed in people who take aspirin. So coming to you, John, could you share a bit more about the history of inherited cancer research and how the focus of Lynch Syndrome came about? [00:12:02] Because this isn't new, is it? [00:12:06] John: No, absolutely, Sharon. And in fact, this story, my story in this space begins 40 years ago when I was one of the geneticists who set out to try and find the genes that we've just been talking about. At that time, the group of patients who were the most obvious to begin with were young people with a condition called familial adenomatous polyposis, or FAP for short. [00:12:26] And they'd get thousands of polyps in their bowel, and the only way to treat that was to actually remove the whole bowel when they reached adulthood, which is a fairly extreme intervention. And I was running, I was setting up a registry. We were trying to find the gene at that time, and we'd just found it, in fact, but we also were trying to find all the families. [00:12:44] And I'd taken over responsibility for all the genetic services in the north of England, in the North East and Cumbria. And we'd, I'd started identifying families with FAP, and we went to visit one of those families, and this was the kind of light bulb moment for me because I walked into the room and mum had had her colon removed, and her son, Jonathan, had just had his first colonoscopy at the age of 12, and it was clear. [00:13:07] And I was about to give them the good news, but as I walked in, I noticed that he had little bumps on his forehead called osteomas, little bony bumps. His mother had them just the same, and it was one of the features of this condition. So I knew he had the gene even though he hadn't yet got the polyps. [00:13:21] Sharon: Wow. [00:13:22] John: And it made me think, wouldn't it be nice if we could do something to prevent these things happening rather than just waiting for an operation? And as it happened at the time, I was leading the English end of a big study, which you'll probably be aware of, which we're, we're, we were doing the vitamin study on women with spina bifida babies, and we were just about to identify folic acid as a way of preventing spina bifida in pregnant women. [00:13:45] So I had these two thoughts in my head. Maybe we could set up a trial like this folic acid trial, and then one of my friends in Edinburgh said, 'Have you seen this paper from Melbourne?' Gabriel Kuhn had just done a big study looking at people with colon cancer. It seemed that people who took a lot of aspirin didn't seem to get as much bowel cancer in Melbourne as those who didn't. So that was the design set up. [00:14:08] We were applying to Europe for a concerted action, so we had to think of an acronym that began with CA. So I, I came up with Concerted Action Polyp Prevention. But then in 1993, just as we started that trial, we were involved in finding the first of the genes for Lynch syndrome. We had a big family in Northumberland where there were lots of people like Drew's family, and there were three generations of cancer in the family. [00:14:31] So CaPP2 was immediately born in my head. In 1999, we had our first recruit, and we recruited until 2005. We found, in total, 1,000 people in 16 countries to join in, and we gave them two aspirins a day or two dummy tablets. Two aspirins is quite a big dose, but back in my day when I was a junior doctor, we used to give many more tablets of aspirin to people with arthritis. [00:14:57] So two tablets wasn't such a big deal. Nowadays, it's seen as a very high dose. And it worked. Basically, to cut to the chase, when we looked in 2010, the people who were getting the aspirin were getting less bowel cancers. In fact, it was a 50% reduction. So the people who took two aspirins had half as many bowel cancers and fewer cancers of other types as well. [00:15:19] We realised, although, at this point, immediately we saw that it was working, we knew we'd need to do another trial to see whether a smaller dose of aspirin would be just as effective. So CaPP3 began, and the great news is that what we'll be reporting in the journals in the next few days when it gets published, is that the people who were taking  CaPP3 aspirin in any dose were tracking exactly the same as the 600-milligram group in CaPP2. [00:15:46] So we're pretty sure that it works. We're pretty sure that the small dose is just as good. And the great news was that we had fewer side effects in that group. And so in fact, no one had to go to hospital for a transfusion or anything, you know, like that. Whereas in the 600-milligram group, we had a few people who needed treatment because, as you know, and everyone knows, if you take aspirin, there's a higher chance of having an ulcer that causes a bleed. [00:16:10] And that was always the anxiety. But people like Drew were courageous enough to take the chance because they knew we needed to know the answer to this. And of course, when you compare it to the risk of getting cancer, taking an aspirin is a relatively small risk. [00:16:26] Sharon: So, what were your kind of considerations when you were designing the trial, having that knowledge? [00:16:32] John: Well, the first thing is it has to be fully informed consent, which means that you have to explain to people what that risk is. The important thing about aspirin is that doctors have a much worse opinion of it than it deserves because if you work in a hospital, you'll often see people coming in who've had a bleed. [00:16:48] It's not always caused by the aspirin. The thing is, if you're coming with a bleed and you're on aspirin, everyone blames the aspirin. Right. About half of them would've happened anyway. In fact, the, the irritation of the stomach is much more of a problem in older people So in fact, the average age of the people in CaPP2 and CaPP3 was about 45, 46 when they started. [00:17:08] Drew was a little bit older, but, but people in that sort of middle age group are much, much less likely to get into trouble than people in their 70s and 80s. And it's people also who've had a history of ulcers that have a bigger problem. We also knew that if you had a stomach infection called H. Pylori, which is itself a risk factor for cancer, and about one in six people carry that bug, and we knew that if we fixed that with antibiotics, that would significantly reduce the risk of bleeding as well. [00:17:37] So it was a manageable risk. It was something we could share with people. They knew they were taking a bit of a chance. But actually a good way of putting it in terms of the risk, for people in middle age, the risk of a low dose of aspirin is about the same as the risk of having a colonoscopy, which is very small, but it isn't completely without risk. [00:17:56] Sharon: Yeah, and Drew, kind of like hearing this sort of incredible, like, backstory about how we've got to these trials and where we are today What was your experience like as a kind of participant of this trial? [00:18:08] Drew: I understood I was going to be on 100, 300, or 600, but wouldn't know for at least three years, or was it five years? I can't remember. [00:18:15] And then sometime later in the post we got these packs, and it was ... I remember at the time thinking it was like a rather dull advent calendar - ... in that you'd have the days of the week- ... with the little, with the little windows, and you'd, you'd pop the tablets out three times a day and take them. [00:18:31] So I did that. I think, you know, I, I don't think I ever missed a day or whatever. Initially, I thought I must be on a really low dose, because I didn't actually notice any side effects. You know, I remember saying to my wife, I said, "Oh, I think I must be on the lowest dose, because I don't see any side effects." [00:18:46] It was a surprise years later when I was told actually I'd been taking 600, so. [00:18:51] Sharon: Wow. [00:18:52] Drew: It was quite an easy experience really. [00:18:54] John: We had a lot of problems. We had to pack the aspirin in six-month packs, because it was very expensive to pack this stuff up. It cost... We got the aspirin free from the Bayer company, but it cost us more than a million pounds to actually put it in, in the packs to satisfy the regulations. [00:19:10] Uh, and a lot of people complained that the packs were a bit big and awkward, but that was just, you know, a constraint. But it was not that big a deal once people got into it. But we did get a lot of complaints about the size of the packets, which we couldn't do anything about that. [00:19:24] Drew: They came regularly through the post, and, you know, so every three months or whatever I got another supply, and I just carried on taking them. [00:19:30] Yeah, so. [00:19:31] Sharon: What was going through your mind when you were kind of waiting for this potential outcome, Drew? Because you, like you say, it was, you know, it was a long time taking part. What was... Especially as you were opening your, you know, your package a day, knowing exactly what you were going to get. [00:19:44] Drew: Well, I, I kind of knew it would be a long-term thing. [00:19:47] I think I was committed for five years initially. But I carried on taking the aspirin for another probably five years after that. So yeah, I was just sort of happy to take the aspirin and then sort of wait to see what the results would be. As I say, that I didn't really notice any side effects, so I wasn't really worried that it was having any detrimental effect on me. [00:20:09] So I was curious to see what the, what the results would be. [00:20:12] Sharon: Yeah. John, the trial has provided like the evidence that, you know, low-dose aspirin can prevent bowel cancer. But are there any challenges that still exist with translating this research into clinic and ultimately patient care? [00:20:26] John: Well, yes, and I'm going to hand back to Katie, who's actually leading the charge on, on getting it into practice as well. [00:20:32] But just to say that I, I'm actually now literally on my other computer finalising my bid to go back to Cancer Research UK because we want to go for three more years. Wow. We said that we would follow people for 10 years after they'd finished their ... or after they'd started, so, you know, for at least 10 years. [00:20:50] So the last person to join didn't finish until 2024, so we won't get to that person. It's Robin and one of my patients. We won't get to Robin's 10-year anniversary until 2029. Oh, yeah. By which time, obviously, Drew will be even further on. But that will give us at least 10 years of follow-up because we know that there is this delayed effect, and that was seen right back at the beginning when people looked, for example, the nurses study in America, where they followed 86,000 nurses and just asked them if they took aspirin. [00:21:18] And nothing happened for 10 years, but those who were taking aspirin for more than 10 years saw a benefit. So in the general population, it probably takes that long to kick in. And so we need to keep going for just a while longer. It's not as expensive now because we're not giving people aspirin anymore. [00:21:33] Sharon: Yeah. [00:21:34] John: But one of the reasons we g- we made Drew's dose blind was because we wanted to know what the side effects would be when you didn't know how much you were getting There's a danger if you're getting a higher dose, you're more likely to complain. And actually, it did work out that the people on the lowest dose had the fewest side effects, even slight side effects. [00:21:51] The only thing we can't escape from is if you're taking aspirin, you get bruising more easily because it blocks the platelets, which are the little tiny blood cells which plug up little holes in your blood vessels when they leak. The good news is we now know that platelets turn out to be right, a major factor in triggering cancer. [00:22:09] And so the aspirin, by blocking the platelets, is actually reducing the risk of cancer, but also reducing the risk of cancer spreading in the body. So this is new research, and we've got another big research project in collaboration with a team in Cambridge who are, uh, pursuing this. Also, the other exciting news is that my other partner, Ruth Langley, is running a big trial of people with cancer, and those who are given aspirin as part of their treatment have less likelihood of getting spreading cancer later on. [00:22:39] So the aspirin is clearly doing something good at many levels in the system. Surprisingly, and we think it might be partly, partly because we used to have a lot of salicylate in our diet, which is what aspirin's made from. And we think that maybe we're putting back something that the body actually was used to having. [00:22:57] Yeah. But modern diets don't contain any, any salicylate because of the way we prepare our food. So it may well be that a little bit of aspirin's a good thing for everybody, but obviously, that's a choice that each person will have to make. [00:23:09] Sharon: Yeah. I mean, it's a real powerhouse of a, of a drug essentially, which you're finding out more about its benefits as, uh, as research goes on. [00:23:18] So Katie, can you just give us a bit of a broad overview of Genomics England's new adults program, which is kind of looking at this sort of area of work and, and what, how can it benefit people? [00:23:29] Katie: Yeah. Thank you, Sharon. So, the adults programme at Genomics England is being funded by government, and the government wrote about it in the 10-year NHS Health Plan, the Life Science Sector Plan to run a large-scale genomics population study. [00:23:44] So looking at how we can obtain genetic information from people in the population and look at more proactive and preventative healthcare, and can we generate evidence on where, how, and why the NHS should start applying genomics into kind of more population health measures. So, there's sort of two sides to this. [00:24:05] So the first is thinking about pharmacogenomics, which is basically about how genetic factors influence how we respond to drugs. So lots of people have had experiences of having side effects from drugs, we've just been talking about that with aspirin, or for drugs not working so well for them. And we know that there are certain drugs that genetic factors can influence whether you should take the drug at all, or if you do, what dose you should take, whether it's going to work for you or not, whether you might be more likely to get side effects or adverse reactions. [00:24:34] So part of the programme's looking at that. And then the other half of the programme will be looking at sort of is, are the genetic factors relevant for sort of serious and high-risk conditions in the adult population? So we could take bowel cancer as an example of that, a common condition, breast cancer, you know, common cancers or cardiovascular disease. [00:24:58] We know there are certain genetic factors for some people that have significantly increased their chance of developing those serious adult onset conditions. Can we find those people in the population and then put measures in place to prevent that? So, you know, even just thinking about Drew's story, he didn't have a family history of cancer. [00:25:16] The first time that he knew he had Lynch syndrome, he'd already developed bowel cancer. And we know that many people that have Lynch syndrome or other high-risk cancer genes are unaware of their status in the population, and so, um, the idea of this program is to really look at, well, if we were to, to look for some of these very high-risk genes in the general population, could we then put measures in place to reduce the chance of them developing the serious condition as a consequence? [00:25:44] So instead of Drew presenting with his bowel cancer, we'd actually already picked it up, despite the fact he doesn't have a family history, and we'd offered him, let's say, aspirin if we'd known the information at the time, and we could maybe have prevented him from developing bowel cancer. [00:25:58] So it's really exploring looking at that a little bit more. [00:26:02] Where can we get genetic information in the population? Where might there be a really well-evidenced, like all the work John's done over 40 years, is really well-evidenced now. Yeah. Yeah. Where are there these opportunities for us to turn the dial on some of these common adult onset conditions? [00:26:20] Sharon: What other challenges do you think with getting this out there do you see? [00:26:25] Katie: Uh, I think there's, there's lots of challenges. I think it's a really com- ... complex programme of work. The first thing is that the risks might be different for people in a population than have a family history. So where I've worked for, for years, and John as well in, in clinical genetics, we've seen the highest risk people, the people with lots and lots of cancer in their family because they're the people that are presented to healthcare services. So we've worked out the risks based on that population. It will be really different when we move to the population setting. We'll find fewer people, and the risks might be lower because there might be other factors that are giving them a lower risk. But that's not to say the risk is zero. [00:27:05] It's probably still raised. So then what we need to do is we need to consider, okay, well, what can we do to intervene, taking into account this change of context from people that we found through clinical services to people that we see in the population. And aspirin is a great example of this. [00:27:22] So, you know, if we find that someone has a Lynch syndrome gene, then taking aspirin, unless there's a really good reason for them not to take aspirin, is almost certainly going to be low cost to the NHS and really significantly reduce the chance of them developing bowel cancer with a low risk profile. So where are those opportunities? [00:27:41] And that isn't clear cut, and that's why we need a large scale research programme that can try to help the NHS answer some of those questions, so it can decide how best to spend its money in, in the people that are most likely to benefit from it with the least amount of risk or harm to them. [00:27:58] Sharon: That makes sense. And, and so, you know, going to you, Drew, what are your kind of thoughts on some of the challenges that Katie's highlighted? And is there anything else that you think needs to be improved in better supporting people living with inherited risk of cancer in the future? [00:28:14] Drew: In the brief sort of 10, 15 years or whatever since I've been s- suffering, awareness has increased greatly. [00:28:21] I mean, for example, my GP now knows about Lynch syndrome, whereas I don't think she did when I was first diagnosed, and I think there is a little bit more awareness out there, but I still think it's a lot less than there would be for, say, for breast cancer. So for example, when a high-profile personality reveals they've got breast cancer, you often get information about inherited risks. [00:28:44] You don't seem to get that with colon cancer. You know, when it's announced that so-and-so has died or is whatever, you don't get that same, you know, it, it might be a genetic thing. I mean, when I was first told people that I had bowel cancer, the response I got usually was, "Oh, poor diet, was it?" [00:29:04] And I always felt a bit upset, that, you know, actually my diet was fairly healthy. And that was the assumption that people had. So I think anything that gets the message out there that there is a risk, an inherited risk, I'm not sure what the statistics are now, Katie, is it one in 400 people might be a Lynch syndrome carrier or something like that? [00:29:24] You know, it's relatively high for something that is, if you know in advance you're at risk, you can do something about it. But like me, you know, I waited until it was too late, because I didn't know, and then had to have the surgery, so anything that promotes the message that there is a risk. I know some people don't want to know about their genetic makeup. Obviously, that's a choice. But I think to give people, as many people as possible, the choice must be a good thing. [00:29:54] Sharon: Yeah, absolutely. And I think one thing I've noticed through this thread is the sort of theme of funding and what gets funding and the amount of time it takes to, to kind of get that funding. [00:30:05] Is there anything you wanted to add around the kind of funding model, around why some things get funded, you know, uh, more prominent, like Drew's point, obviously, talks about if someone high profile kind of comes forward and says XYZ, that gets the spotlight shone on it, and there might be research going that direction compared to s- to, to other cancers. [00:30:23] John: So maybe I could speak at that. So partly because of my experience, I've now been made chairman of the grant committee at Cancer Research UK for prevention and population research. And there is a real drive to push more resource into prevention for the obvious reasons. [00:30:39] Katie: Yeah. [00:30:39] John: And also, it's got to be remembered, it's very difficult for the drug companies to fund this because it takes such a long time that the drug's- Mm [00:30:46] out of its patent before they actually get to use it. So, it's very difficult from a business point of view to fund research into prevention. But they are keen to help us, uh, but we really need sort of central government and the charities to focus on prevention if it's going to make a difference. [00:31:02] And just on Drew's point on diet, I mean, diet is still important even if you have Lynch syndrome. In our CaPP2 trial, the people who were overweight were more than double the risk of cancer. So it's not like an either/or. If you've got a higher genetic risk and you have a bad diet, then that's, you know, is going to contribute. [00:31:21] But the other exciting thing is, of course, we now have medical ways of treating obesity in, in people. So, one of the interesting areas is whether we should be, in the same way as we are for other high-risk populations with overweight, we should be giving overweight people with Lynch syndrome, help to lose weight because that will also reduce their risk. [00:31:41] It's also worth just dropping in at the last moment here is that this is also a good news story in terms of treatment and further prevention. We now have a new class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors, which specifically target the types of cancer that Drew had and are much more effective in curing them And also, we've just been given funding to do a project called LynchVax, which I'll be helping with, but it's led by David Church in Oxford. [00:32:05] And this is developing a vaccine against cancers in people with Lynch syndrome. The great news is it'll probably work alongside aspirin because we know the aspirin is enhancing the immune response. So the two together may make this a curable condition. [00:32:18] Sharon: That's actually incredible. I mean, that, it gives so much hope for people. [00:32:23] And I just wanted to find out if you had any more kind of reflections as we close, because we're going to come to the end of our podcast today. If there's anything more that you wanted to share, anything that has been missed, or anything that you want our listeners to know, and I think I'm gonna come to you, Drew, first, because you're the person who's had to sort of live through this and, and go through this journey along the way. [00:32:41] Drew: I think just basically, if you're not sure, get tested. Obviously, there are financial constraints. I'm sure that running a DNA test is quite an expensive business. But I think if you've got any history of bowel cancer in the family, you've got any concerns about your health, speak to a GP and see if you can get tested as quickly as possible. [00:33:00] And then, to get a better message out there that there are risks of inherited colon and other similar cancers, so. [00:33:11] Sharon: Yeah, so it's getting that, messaging out, um, for people to understand more and make those informed choices. And Katie? [00:33:18] Katie: I mean, I would say that the power of, of our, you know, NHS and our academia and, and our healthcare system has been collaboration. [00:33:26] Sharon: Yeah. [00:33:27] Katie: There's so many moving parts. There's commissioners, there's funding, there's the evidence, there's research, there's healthcare implementation. The UK's a really amazing place to work in genomic medicine, and I think that's partly because of the amazing collaborations that we have, and the way that we can translate research into healthcare as John's team have done with this amazing study. [00:33:48] So let's all keep working together, please. [00:33:52] Sharon: Absolutely. And John, it feels like this is your lifetime's work. [00:33:58] John: Well, I've become aspirin man, it wasn't intended. But Katie's done fantastic work in her role as chair of the Cancer Genetics Group in the UK, so we've now implemented a, [00:34:06] we're the first in the world to really make this an absolute directive to the GPs and all, to all doctors to say, "People with Lynch syndrome need to be offered aspirin." And so that's a great step forward. But we also need to get it into the British National Formulary, and I'm working with their team so that the GPs are empowered to do this. [00:34:24] It's actually part of their care package. But I would just say we've still got a long way to go. We've now got a national list of all the people with Lynch syndrome, like Drew, to make sure we offer them all a colonoscopy, but there are only 14,000 people after several years of really pushing. [00:34:40] Sharon: Right. [00:34:40] John: We think in the national population in all ages, it's about 1 in 300. That's a lot of people. That means there's about 150,000 people like Drew in the country, and we've only found 10% of them. So we can't just rely on family history for all the reasons Drew explained. You know, I mean, Drew's dad probably died of Lynch syndrome, but we don't know because we've lost that record. [00:35:02] So now we're checking every bowel cancer to see if it might be caused by Lynch, and that programme is now kicking in, and we're picking up a lot more gene carriers as a result of that. But there's still a long way to go to get co- get people aware of Lynch syndrome, to think of it when someone presents with a cancer, not just of the bowel, but in the womb, in the kidney, in other parts of the body. [00:35:23] It's not just the bowel, but that's the most important group. [00:35:26] Sharon: Yeah. [00:35:26] John: So there's still a long way to go. [00:35:28] Sharon: Where you've come to now is still an incredible achievement, even though we've still got a long way to go, and I don't think we should ever lose sight of that. So we're going to wrap it up there. Thank you to our guests, Katie Snape, Professor Sir John Burn, and Drew Hyde, for joining me today as we discuss cancer prevention. [00:35:48] If you'd like to hear more like this, please subscribe to Behind the Genes on your favourite podcast app, and thank you for listening. I've been your host, Sharon Jones, and Behind the Genes is produced by Deanna Barac, Florence Cornish, Sophie McLachlan, and Dave Howard at Bespoken Media.  

Join us as we talk to Chris Clarke.Chris was 36, fit, healthy, and living an active life with his young family in Sydney's Northern Beaches when a family holiday to Byron Bay changed everything. What started as a gastro bug quickly escalated into emergency hospital transfers, surgery, and a diagnosis that no one saw coming — Stage 4 bowel cancer.In this episode, Chris shares the raw reality of navigating a life-altering diagnosis with no symptoms, no family history, and no warning signs. Recorded while hooked up to his 12th and final round of chemotherapy, he opens up about undergoing major surgery, the physical and emotional toll of full-dose treatment, the invisible mental weight of cancer.Chris's story is also one of extraordinary resilience and advocacy. Mid-treatment, he ran a full marathon coming off a chemo cycle and returned to treatment just two days later — raising over $20,000 for bowel cancer awareness in the process. Now, he's using his voice to push for change, appearing in media, lobbying at Parliament House, and advocating for earlier screening access for young Australians.This episode is a powerful reminder that cancer doesn't always look the way we expect it to — and that no symptoms does not mean no cancer.June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and Chris's story is one every young Australian needs to hear.Some resources and links below:https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/Fundraising: https://challenge.bowelcanceraustralia.org/page/ChrisClarke-94758725 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and Bowel Cancer New Zealand has launched an unusual competition. The 'poo with a view' campaign encourages people to learn the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and complete a quick online symptom checker. Those that take the symptom checker quiz at poowithaview.org.nz will go in the draw to win a poo with one of the best views in New Zealand. Bowel Cancer NZ CEO Peter Huskinson joined Matt and Tyler to chat about the campaign. Huskinson emphasised the life-saving importance of spreading information about the disease, "I mean the key thing to realise is that bowel cancer, what they call early onset bowel cancer, which is cancer, bowel cancer in people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, is actually the number one cause of cancer death in New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Sunflower Conversations, James Dunn speaks with Nicole Trimboli about surviving two cancers, living with a permanent stoma and ostomy bag, and rebuilding confidence when your body and life change fast.  • Hodgkin's lymphoma as a young mum and the mental scars that can linger  • Daily life with an ostomy bag, diet planning and body image.  • Writing What a Shit Show as a guide, a story and a form of therapy • Travelling with a hidden disability, airport security, toilets and the Sunflower lanyard • The harm of judging who uses accessible toilets and why visibility is not proofPurchase a copy of Nicole's book "What a Shit Show"  Visit our website, Facebook, or Instagram for more resources.

Bowel Cancer - குடல் புற்றுநோய் தொடர்பிலான விழிப்புணர்வு மாதமாக ஜூன் கடைப்பிடிக்கப்படுகிறது. குடல் புற்றுநோய் பற்றிய தனது மற்றும் தனது சகோதரனின் அனுபவங்களை உமா சுவாமி அவர்களும், குடல் புற்றுநோய் அதன் அறிகுறிகள், மற்றும் முன்னெச்சரிக்கை நடவடிக்கைகள் பற்றி புற்றுநோய் மருத்துவ நிபுணர் Radiation Oncologist Dr J ஜெயமோகன் அவர்களும் எம்முடன் பகிர்ந்துகொள்கிறார்கள். நிகழ்ச்சியாக்கம் மகேஸ்வரன் பிரபாகரன்.

The new season of Lady Bites opens with a conversation a lot of us feel awkward talking about. In this episode, Aoife, Ciara and Louise discuss bowel cancer, including the key risk factors, common signs and symptoms to look out for, and the importance of screening in detecting cancer at an early stage when treatment is most effective.They also explore the concerning rise in bowel cancer diagnoses among younger adults, examining what current research tells us and why awareness of symptoms is important regardless of age.Thanks as always to our friend Jeremy Roske for his track, A Little Love.

After a cancer diagnosis in his 30s, Tasmanian Matt Duggan has run from Stanley to Cockle Creek for Bowel Cancer awareness. He was joined by his mate Rohan Barwick for the over 550km journey. Listen as they speak to Kaz and Tubes post the incredible mission.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Duggan joins Kaz and Tubes to discuss Matt’s Marathon Mission, and why he’s running the length of Tasmania for bowel cancer awareness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bowel cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in Kiwis under 50, but plenty of experts have raised concerns over the current screening process. New Zealand's national screening programme doesn't kick in until 58, and advocates are calling for more to be done to screen younger Kiwis. GP Dr Clive Price recently moved from the UK, and he's set up a screening company called Truescreen to fill the gaps. "It's about just filling that gap in the market, really, and offering a service to Kiwis." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

London's open-science crowd takes over the Francis Crick Institute, UCL and UCLH share a seriously encouraging bowel cancer trial follow-up, and Sony starts nudging UK PlayStation users toward age verification ahead of June. Plus, Oppo's next flagship tees up its UK arrival, and Fallout 76 gets its latest tune-up. Read more at standard.co.uk — and follow Tech and Science Daily from The Standard for your weekday briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fuel protest, property prices in Cork have risen by €35,000 in the last year, drinking habits: 55% of adults now say they are most likely to have a tipple at home, moving from social and public occasions to more private, Cork man Brendan Looney on his Bowel Cancer diagnosis and why early detection and screening are so important, would an Australian-style vape ban work here? and on Movie Review, Mark shares his thoughts on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Avatar: Fire and Ash Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is sponsored by Welbeck - providing beyond better healthcare.  Every 12 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. Bowel Cancer Awareness Month takes place every April to raise awareness of symptoms, promote early diagnosis, and encourage screening. As the UK's fourth most common cancer, early detection is critical, with over 90% of cases surviving if caught early. It mainly affects people over 50 but can affect anyone.  To talk all about this today we are delighted to welcome consultant gastroenterologistDr Adam Haycock to the show.  We get into the importance of screening, symptoms to watch out for and what exactly happens at a colonoscopy.  Adam explains: The warning signs people should be aware of Why symptoms must be checked urgently Which symptoms are often dismissed or mistaken for something less serious How particular women's conditions can cause confusing symptoms What to do if you feel embarrassed Why it is vital to take part in the free screening test for over 50's Plus, we discuss why people are so weird about poo, what a polyp is and why they need to be looked at.  Join Our Private Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1115099072702743/?ref=share_group_link Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/selfcareclubpod/ YouTube https://youtube.com/c/SelfCareClub TikTok https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLnXyS1S/ Email hello@theselfcareclub.co.uk  Website www.theselfcareclub.co.uk Studio production by @launchpodstudios Music by purpleplanet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/self-care-club--6942824/support.

Don’t take the risk, take the bowel screening testSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Body, One Life: Danni Duncan on Bowel Cancer, Resilience, and Owning Your Health.Host Vicki Nguyen introduces One Body, One Life, a longevity-focused show sponsored by Jomeis Fine Foods, and interviews Australian health coach, entrepreneur, author, and podcast host Danni Duncan, a bowel cancer survivor. Danni shares how her background in ballet, struggles with eating disorders, and motherhood led her to study nutrition, build the “Figure Babe” community during lockdown, and later launch her fitness app. She discusses the pressures of online work, dealing with trolls, and a recent controversy about ultra-processed school lunchboxes, linking childhood diets to rising bowel cancer risk. Danni recounts her diagnosis after severe iron/hemoglobin drops, fatigue, and dizziness postpartum, leading to urgent colonoscopy, robotic surgery removing a malignant tumor and 30 cm of bowel, and chemotherapy. She emphasizes mindset, exercise, gratitude, advocacy for early detection, and offers tips: nourish your body, move daily, and practice gratitude.

When was the last time you took a bowel cancer screening test? Recent research reveals a significant gap in participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, with just 24–31 per cent of people who speak a language other than English at home taking part compared to 44–47 per cent of English speakers. Dr Pallavi Sharma says early detection can save lives and calls for culturally tailored campaigns to boost participation among Hindi-speaking communities.

More New Zealanders die from bowel cancer than prostate and breast cancer combined. Yet most of us still feel uncomfortable talking about it.In this episode, we're joined by Alice Fitzgerald, CEO of the Gut Foundation, for a conversation that could quite literally save your life.We break down:Why NZ has some of the highest bowel cancer rates in the worldThe simple signs you should never ignoreWhy embarrassment is costing livesThe alternative to colonoscopy most people don't know aboutHow 30 grams of fibre a day can dramatically reduce your riskThis isn't about fear. It's about awareness, empowerment, and simple actions that make a massive difference.If you care about your health — or someone else's — this episode matters.Talking about poo might feel awkward.But as you'll hear… talking sh*t saves lives.Chapters00:40 Meet Alice Fitzgerald, CEO of the Gut Foundation02:05 Alice's journey from real estate to gut health advocacy07:22 What the Gut Foundation does: research, education and awareness11:34 Gut health explained simply12:34 Explaining gut health to kids: “gut buddies”15:54 What unhealthy gut health can look like day to day16:26 Why checking your poo matters19:49 What changes in your poo to watch for22:45 Tim's story: blood, fear and getting checked25:46 Why men are at greater risk27:02 Why acting early matters28:24 Real story: delayed testing and stage 4 bowel cancer30:31 Why bowel cancer is rising in younger people33:17 Why New Zealand's bowel cancer rates are so high34:33 The good news: bowel cancer is highly treatable if caught early35:21 What stops people from going to the doctor38:10 Public vs private care and long waitlists39:15 CT colonography vs colonoscopy42:45 Why you need to advocate for your own health46:27 The Gut Check campaign: self-check, professional check, social check48:56 Other warning signs beyond bowel changes50:34 The power of fibre for gut health52:14 30 plants a week and easy ways to get more diversity54:32 Simple food swaps and breakfast ideas for fibre58:48 Gut health misinformation, diet trends and diversity01:00:52 Lifestyle factors: exercise, stress and meditation01:03:07 The gut-brain connection01:04:40 Why gut health is highly personal01:09:23 Gut health for kids and fussy eaters01:10:27 Why gut issues are becoming more common01:11:48 Ultra-processed foods, advertising and willpower01:17:35 Personal responsibility vs food environment01:20:49 Focus on adding good foods, not eliminating everything01:22:30 Final takeaways: review your poo, get checked, eat more fibre01:25:35 Closing thoughts and thanks to Alice01:26:16 Outro: Follow OStudio and learn more

Coming up, we explore an outbreak of meningitis in the English county of Kent. Will a targeted vaccination campaign bring it under control? Plus, a fast diagnostic swab test that may help diagnose schizophrenia, how thousands of old tumour samples could aid our understanding of rising bowel cancer rates in people under 50, and a new study that suggests ultrasound could help save European hedgehogs from road traffic... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this episode Rosie Moss is joined by writer and lifelong music obsessive Cath Holland. Cath brings her husband Andy vividly to life, a thoughtful, principled “music buff” whose love of records, gigs and humour carried them through 25 years together and somehow held on right until the end.The conversation begins in the life before. Liverpool gig scenes, record shops, and a shared vinyl collection built over decades. Cath still laughs remembering the moment Andy first asked her out, by ringing her landline like it was 1987.Then comes the rupture. Cath walks Rosie through the brutal speed of Andy's bowel cancer diagnosis. The failed prep. The endless hospital wait. Being told there was an “84% chance” of cancer just days before Christmas. Early reassurances quickly turned into the reality of stage four disease.Together they talk about the parts people rarely say out loud. Stomas, infections, DNAR conversations, and the relentlessness of becoming a carer while watching the person you love slip away. Cath also speaks about the strange intimacy of keeping someone at home after they die.From there the conversation moves into the long tail of grief. Funerals. Ashes sitting on a shelf surrounded by Beatles books. The support cliff that arrives after everyone goes home. And the exhausting work of rebuilding a future that was never meant to be yours.This is a conversation about love, music, caregiving, class, and the quiet endurance required to keep going when the soundtrack of your life suddenly stops.In this episode:• How Cath and Andy's relationship was built through music, Liverpool gigs, record collecting and the rituals that still anchor her now.• The diagnostic timeline that still feels unreal: repeat endoscopies, a dread filled wait, and being told there was an “84% likelihood” of cancer days before Christmas.• Medical whiplash and systemic failure when tumours initially shrank but surgery was later ruled out because hospital teams weren't communicating properly.• What “dying at home” can actually look like, from hospice at home support and syringe drivers to district nurses and the decision to stay out of hospital in the final week.• Small moments of joy when there is no bucket list, including record shopping, Saturday lunches and comfort music from The Beatles and Creedence.• After death: the funeral as a rare moment of collective support, a Beatles shrine for the ashes, and the quiet bubble before telling the world.• The secondary losses people rarely talk about including work, identity, grief brain and the physical impact of prolonged stress and caregiving.• The kind of support that actually helps bereaved people and the things well meaning friends often get wrong.A beautiful, honest conversation about music, love, caregiving and the long echo of loss.Chapters0:07 Welcome + Kath and Andy: a life built on music6:50 From first symptoms to diagnosis: the long, frightening wait9:54 Treatment twists: radiotherapy, chemo hope, then stage four12:44 Palliative care, hospice, and choosing home18:59 Living inside terminal illness: day-to-day love, fear, and admin26:07 The last weeks and days: care at home, music, and the moment of death37:04 What happens next: overnight at home, funeral, ashes, and keeping love close42:59 The fallout: isolation, practical help, money, class, and work after loss64:29 Rebuilding a life: identity, exhaustion, joy, and messages for the newly widowed#widowedaf #widowhood #griefpodcast #bereavement #hospicecare #palliativecare #cancerjourney #endoflifeplanning #griefandmoney #workingclassvoices

James Van Der Beek's death last week at just 48 shocked fans, reignited fears about a disease we still associate with old age. Cases of bowel cancer are rising in those under 50, even as rates fall among the elderly. To find out why, researchers are turning to a century of preserved samples.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times Professor Trevor Graham,  director, Centre for Evolution and CancerHolly Masters, cancer patient Host: Manveen RanaProducer: Julia Webster, Sophie McNultyWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Bowel cancer has doubled in under-50s: do the reasons lie in birth?Further listening: Why are more young people getting cancer?Photo: Getty.This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Full Show Podcast for the 5th of February 2026 - Bowel Cancer under 50 is increasing, we had a great chat on the part diet plays in this. Then the under 16 ban on social media - Meta pushes an alternative but Erica Stanford says Cabinet's mind is already made up Matt's been enjoying The Conqueror virtual challenge app as a fun way to get his son into exercise, and today we discovered the App Creator is a Kiwi so we had a chat to Adam El-Agez. And to finish the show Kiwi treasure Mikey Havoc joined the boys to talk about the rebirth of the band PUSH PUSH. Get the Matt Heath and Tyler Adams Afternoons Podcast every weekday afternoon on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noninterventional studies in clinical research are underutilized in clinical research and inefficient. Dan Drozd, CMO of PicnicHealth, knows we can do better. With host Deborah Borfitz, Drozd discusses the issues and ramifications researchers face from the lack of noninterventional studies, offers tactics for raising the bar for evidence generation, and shares what he expects in the clinical research space in 2026 in this episode of the Scope of Things. Plus, Borfitz shares the latest news on an expanding good pharma score card, an entirely telehealth-based cancer trial, a novel online platform for bowel cancer research, improving patient-reported outcomes in cancer trials, a virtual clinical trial for psychedelics, and identifying Type 1 diabetes in the symptom-less window stage. Show Notes   News Roundup Good Pharma Scorecard Study in JAMA Internal Medicine News on the Yale Scool of Medicine website  Nationwide telehealth trial for cancer News on The Ohio State University website Online platform for bowel cancer research News on the Newcastle University website Patient-reported outcomes in cancer clinical trials Paper in The Lancet Oncology News on the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer website Virtual clinical trial of psychedelics Research article in Advanced Science Type 1 diabetes risk prediction testing Study in The Lancet News on the University of Exeter website Guest Dan Drozd, M.D., CMO of PicnicHealth The Scope of Things podcast explores clinical research and its possibilities, promise, and pitfalls. Clinical Research News senior writer, Deborah Borfitz, welcomes guests who are visionaries closest to the topics, but who can still see past their piece of the puzzle. Focusing on game-changing trends and out-of-the-box operational approaches in the clinical research field, the Scope of Things podcast is your no-nonsense, insider's look at clinical research today.

From post-menopausal spotting to at-home bowel tests. HPV to painful boobs. Ask us anything about cancer, we’ve got you covered! In this episode, Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam tackle your most pressing questions about some of the most common cancers affecting women, including cervical, ovarian, uterine, breast and bowel. They talk to the experts to answer all your questions including what it means if you test positive for HPV and whether you still need a cervical screen if you’re in a same-sex relationship or have already had the vaccine. Plus, they dive into your breast cancer concerns, addressing whether to get the BRCA gene test, if the age your mum was diagnosed with breast cancer matters and what to do about your random breast pain. They also demystify those intimidating doctor's visits (no, your doctor won't remember your butt), the accuracy of the at-home bowel tests and finding the appropriate support. THE END BITS All your health information is in the Well Hub. We understand that conversations about cancer can be difficult, whether you're navigating your own diagnosis, supporting a loved one, or remembering someone you've lost. If today's episode has brought up difficult feelings, please reach out. The Cancer Council offers a confidential support line staffed by specialist nurses, and you can call them on 13 11 20.Dr Mariam recommends The Bottom Line Podcast and the film A Little Bit of Heaven. For more specific information on the topics we discussed today, organisations like: Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation Ovarian Cancer Australia Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation National Breast Cancer Foundation Breast Cancer Network Australia iPrevent McGrath Foundation Bowel Cancer Australia Cancer Council And if you just need to talk to someone immediately, you can always call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Remember to be kind to yourself, and please don't hesitate to seek support. GET IN TOUCH Sign up to the Well Newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trusted health expertise without the medical jargon. Ask a question of our experts or share your story, feedback, or dilemma - you can send it anonymously here, email here or leave us a voice note here. Ask The Doc: Ask us a question in The Waiting Room. Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok. Support independent women’s media by becoming a Mamamia subscriber CREDITS Hosts: Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam Guest: Professor Clare Scott, Dr Belinda Yeo, Dr. Penelope De Lacavalerie Senior Producers: Claire Murphy and Sally Best Audio Producer: Scott Stronach Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Producer: Elly Moore Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Information discussed in Well. is for education purposes only and is not intended to provide professional medical advice. Listeners should seek their own medical advice, specific to their circumstances, from their treating doctor or health care professional. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From misdiagnosis to a life-changing shift | the Bradden Method explained | Sarah's tool kit | light therapy | activated oxygen | intuition | working with the ears | Sarah's routine, supplements, and secret address book

Dr. Alan Smith, Consultant in Public Health Medicine with the HSE National Screening Service

Why is bowel cancer on the rise in younger Australians and what are the five key symptoms we’re dismissing? Is it actually better for your vaginal health to sleep without underwear? And can you use an online doctor as your regular GP if you live in a regional area? In this episode, we talk to colorectal surgeon Dr. Penelope De Lakavalerie about why bowel cancer is no longer an ‘older person’s disease’. She breaks down five crucial symptoms to remember, using the acronym B.O.W.E.L. And, she explains the dietary and lifestyle factors that could be contributing to this rise in young people. We also settle the debate on whether it’s healthier to sleep commando and if there’s any science behind letting the girl breathe. Plus, Dr Mariam answers a listener's question about the pros and cons of using a telehealth doctor as your primary GP. THE END BITS All your health information is in the Well Hub. For more specific information on the topics we discussed today, Dr. Penelope De Lakavalerie recommends resources available on Bowel Cancer Australia. We understand that conversations about cancer can be difficult, whether you're navigating your own diagnosis, supporting a loved one, or remembering someone you've lost. If today's episode has brought up difficult feelings, please reach out. The Cancer Council offers a confidential support line staffed by specialist nurses, and you can call them on 13 11 20. And if you just need to talk to someone immediately, you can always call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Remember to be kind to yourself, and please don't hesitate to seek support. GET IN TOUCH Sign up to the Well Newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trusted health expertise without the medical jargon. Ask a question of our experts or share your story, feedback, or dilemma - you can send it anonymously here, email here or leave us a voice note here. Ask The Doc: Ask us a question in The Waiting Room. Follow us on Instagram and Tiktok. Support independent women’s media by becoming a Mamamia subscriber CREDITS Hosts: Claire Murphy and Dr Mariam Guest: Dr. Penelope De Lakavalerie Senior Producers: Claire Murphy and Sally Best Audio Producer: Scott Stronach Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Producer: Elly Moore Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Information discussed in Well. is for education purposes only and is not intended to provide professional medical advice. Listeners should seek their own medical advice, specific to their circumstances, from their treating doctor or health care professional. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Aideen Ryan, Professor in Tumour Immunology at University of Galway's College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Photo: Andrew Downes Researchers at the University of Galway have revealed the results of a world-first study into how bowel cancer shuts down the immune system, and how this can be reversed to improve treatment. The findings have been published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). Breakthrough for bowel cancer immunotherapy The research team showed how structural stromal cells switch off the immune system and how the body's own killer cells can be switched back on, opening up the opportunity for a completely new approach to optimising immunotherapy for patients. Colorectal cancer - commonly referred to as bowel cancer - is one of the world's most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Diagnoses in people under 50 have been climbing in recent decades, with recent global analysis showing these early-onset cases have almost doubled since 1990. In Ireland, the disease affects more than 2,500 people a year. Professor Aideen Ryan, Professor in Tumour Immunology at University of Galway's College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, said: "While immunotherapy has revolutionised care in cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer, it has shown very limited benefit in bowel cancer, leaving patients with advanced disease with few treatment options and poor survival outcomes." The breakthrough research discovery is the first to demonstrate that tumour stromal cells - the structural cells that support cancer growth - are directly reprogramming the immune system. They do this by switching off, or hijacking, two of our body's most important tumour-fighting cells - the natural killers (NK) and macrophages - rendering them unable to attack the cancer. Professor Ryan said: "The interaction between the cancer, our body's healthy cells and our defence mechanism is a complex one, but our research shows that the cancer is essentially creating an immune brake - it is blocking the body's natural response and fight mechanism." What has been discovered in relation to how the cancer interacts with the human body? Tumour stromal cells are the structural cells which allow the cancer to grow. They are coated in sugars called sialoglycans. These interact with receptors on the body's immune cells called Siglecs. This interaction causes the body's natural defence response to be switched off and unresponsive when immunotherapy is used, and therefore unable to attack the cancer. The research identified a specific enzyme that drives this process of 'switching off', as it produces the Siglec-binding sugars on stromal cells. When the researchers blocked this pathway using drugs called sialidases, they could show that the body's most important tumour-fighting cells - the natural killers (NK) and macrophages - reactivated. It showed that the tumours shrank and the spread of cancer, known as metastasis, was prevented. The multidisciplinary research was conducted in collaboration with colorectal surgeons and pathologists at Galway University Hospital, led by Professor Aisling Hogan and Professor Sean Hynes; as well as experts in colorectal cancer - Dr Philip Dunne, Queen's University Belfast and experts in targeting sialoglycans at Palleon Pharmaceuticals, MA, USA, who have developed sialidase drugs that disrupt the sialoglycan-Siglec interaction. Professor Ryan added: "Our research is a clear breakthrough in our understanding of bowel cancer and how immunotherapy could be more successful. This world-first finding shows that some of the bowel cancer cells are not just passive bystanders, they are actively reprogramming the body's immune cells, preventing them from doing their job. We have uncovered an entirely new checkpoint and by focusing on it we can reactivate the immune system and improve our body's innate ability to fight the disease, and even target metastasis." Michael O'Dwyer, Pro...

New research into bowel cancer has identified ways to reactivate the immune system, to help tackle the spread of the condition. For more Professor Aideen Ryan is a Professor in Tumour Immunology at University of Galway.

Bowel Cancer New Zealand said lives will be saved after the government announced free bowel cancer screenings for those over the age of 58. Their chief executive, Peter Huskinson, spoke with Corin Dann.

Experts say better staffing numbers will be key to improving bowel-cancer screening. The screening age is set to lower to 58 for Northland, Auckland and the South Island today, with the rest of the North Island to follow in March. More than 120,000 people will qualify for screening in the first year of this change, and the Government aims to boost colonoscopy capacity to lower the age screening age further. But colorectal surgeon Frank Frizelle says there's plenty of capacity to expand it, but more resources are needed. "The Government is walking very cautiously in this line, because it's worried that its resources won't be able to deliver. To me, it doesn't seem to match up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Sunday Panel, Chelsea Daniels from the Front Page podcast and TV producer, journalist and commentator, Irene Gardiner, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! From Monday, the starting age for bowel cancer screenings will be lowered from 60 to 58 in Northland, Auckland, and the South Island. The rest of the North Island will follow in March 2026. Do we think the Government could have done more with this? Do we need to loosen up royal traditions? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health bosses have been called upon to cut the age for bowel-cancer screening. The call comes amid warnings Ireland now suffers from the highest mortality rate for colorectal cancer in Europe. There has been a near doubling of the rate of bowel cancer - with a worrying surge in detections among people aged under 50. Seán Lally, Co-Owner of Hotel Woodstock, was diagnosed with bowel cancer and spoke with Alan Morrissey on Tuesdays Morning Focus. Photo (c) 9dreamstudio from Getty images via Canva

In New Zealand, bowel cancer is responsible for the second highest number of cancer deaths, and one in ten people diagnosed are under the age of 50. Globally, what was once seen as a disease of old age is now affecting an increasing proportion of the younger population. Research shows that our gut health has a lot to do with prevention and managing risk. Associate Professor of Surgery at Imperial College London, James Kinross, is a colorectal surgeon, scientist and best-selling author. His book Dark Matter explains in practical terms what you can do to look after your microbiome - the ecosystem of micro-organisms living inside you - and the key to a healthy immune system. Dr Kinross will be in New Zealand next month as a guest speaker at the 2025 New Zealand Society for Oncology Conference in Dunedin. He speaks to Mihingarangi Forbes ahead of his trip about our 'internal climate crisis', the use of faecal transplants and why exposure to microbes is necessary for our survival.

Brian O'Connell, RTE Reporter

Thousands of people are opting to pay for their own colonoscopies as wait times blow out on the public system. Bowel Cancer NZ's medical advisor and surgeon Dr Frank Frizelle spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In this SAFE SPACE episode, Jess sits down with Kellie Finlayson to explore what it’s really like to live with a Terminal Illness. At just 25 and shortly after giving birth, Kellie was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bowel Cancer. She opens up about her journey, sharing how she shifted her mindset from “why me?” to “why not me?”, and how perspective and resilience have shaped her experience. Kellie speaks candidly about the emotional and physical challenges of treatment, the power of self-advocacy, and how her diagnosis has impacted her role as a mother. Above all, she shares what it means to live fully and find meaning in the face of uncertainty. Is there somebody you'd like to share this episode with? Just tap the 3 dots above ⬆︎ and pass it on LINKS: You can find out more about Kellie’s story in her remarkable book ‘There Must be More’ and hear her podcast ‘Sh!t Talkers' If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, support is available. You can call The Cancer Council on 13 11 20 for free, confidential information, emotional support, and practical guidance — wherever you are in Australia. And if this conversation has brought up difficult feelings, Lifeline is here 24/7 on 13 11 14 You’re not alone. If you love what we do, why not follow the show, and rate and review on Apple or Spotify CREDITS:Host: Jessica RoweGuest: Kellie FinlaysonExecutive Producer: Nic McClureAudio Producer: Nat MarshallDigital Content Producer: Zoe Panaretos The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show acknowledges the Gadigal people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we recorded this podcast, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples here today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we are joined by Dr Brandon Baraty and Associate Professor Viraj Kariyawasam, two leading experts in gastroenterology, to discuss the latest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management and bowel cancer screening. They'll share insights into the most recent advancements in diagnostic techniques and cutting-edge treatment options shaping the future of patient care.This podcast is sponsored by Macquarie University Hospital, part of MQ Health - a trailblazer in healthcare, education and research.Dr Baraty is a senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist. He is the Head of Discipline of Gastroenterology at Macquarie University Hospital and the Director of Endoscopy at Ryde Hospital. Dr Baraty specialises in IBD care and is a leading expert in transabdominal ultrasound for IBD assessment in New South Wales.Associate Professor Kariyawasam is a Senior Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, and Endoscopist at Macquarie University Hospital and Concord Hospital. He holds a PhD from Sydney University and has completed international fellowship training in IBD. He is dedicated to advancing IBD diagnosis and management while actively supporting patient advocacy and education.

Ian Sample is joined by James Kinross, colorectal surgeon and author of the book Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome, to answer all your questions about gut health. In episode one, James explains how the gut microbiome gets set up, how it impacts our early development, and the effect antibiotics can have on our microbes. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

We hear a lot about the pressures boys and young men are under and how many of them are looking to the online world - or manosphere as it's sometimes called - to find answers. Prompted by the drama Adolescence on Netflix, the topic has been in the news regularly in recent weeks. This week the Women and Equalities Select Committee heard evidence on the manosphere. Anita Rani is joined by Will Adolphy, who was a dedicated follower of the manosphere until, in his mid 20s, he had a breakdown. He went offline for five years and rebuilt his life. He is now a psychotherapist, coach, and goes to schools to speak about healthy masculinity.This week ITV has announced a shake up of the scheduling and production of its popular daytime shows including Lorraine, Loose Women and Good Morning Britain. Whilst Good Morning Britain will be extended, both Lorraine and Loose Women will see their number of shows cut. Entertainment journalist and expert on all-things TV Scott Bryan unpicks why this is happening.The Bombing of Pan Am 103 – is a new BBC factual drama series. Based on the true story of the bombing of a passenger flight over a small Scottish town of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, in which 270 people were killed. Kathryn Turman was Assistant to a federal Senator at the time of the bombing. After the trial she joined the FBI where she founded the agency's first ever Victim Services Division. Her experience in the aftermath of the Pan Am bombing proved invaluable to the FBI's response to the 9/11 attacks, and she has aided victims and families throughout major moments in history including the Las Vegas shooting and the Boston marathon bombing. She discusses her mission to help victims, and what inspired her work in public service.Next month marks three years since the journalist and host of BBC's You, Me and the Big C podcast Deborah James - known to many as Bowel Babe - died, aged 40, five years after her stage four bowel cancer diagnosis. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer type and cause of cancer death for women. Since the early 1990s, the incidence rate in women aged 25-49 has increased by almost 60%. Bowel cancer is treatable if diagnosed early. Heather James, Deborah's mother, is fulfilling a promise to her daughter and continuing with Deborah's awareness-raising work - she and Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, are in the Woman's Hour studio.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Orby is back even though there has been less pinball news then code in Dune Orby tries to salavage a show! WARNING my voice is fricked up for aboot half the shw sorry not sorry! xoxo Support my buddy Kimba and the fight against Bowel Cancer by donating to your local cancer charity or for Kimbas Bday I will drop a link to specifically donate in her name! >>>  https://www.facebook.com/donate/620383734386452/10236256121563864/ 

Bowel Cancer sufferers, survivors and their supporters gathered at Parliament on Tuesday to call on the Government to lower the age of eligibility for free bowel cancer screening tests. Several dozen protesters met with Ministers to raise awareness of the growing problem and to call for change in how the disease is diagnosed in Aotearoa. Bill Hickman has more. 

Last year the government announced it's progressively lowering eligibility for free bowel cancer screening to 58 years old, down from 60. It also ended a pilot programme that allowed Maori and Pasifika to access bowel screening at 50. That's despite Christopher Luxon's pre-election promise to match Australia's screening age of 45 years old. Rachael Ferguson spoke to Lisa Owen. 

Can Gut Health in Childhood Help Prevent Bowel Cancer Later in Life?This week on the podcast, we're talking about something that might feel a little confronting but also incredibly empowering: how our kids' health today could shape their future health tomorrow.Bowel cancer rates are on the rise in young people, and new research is pointing to a surprising contributor — one we've been talking about for a long time here at Natural Super Kids: gut health. In this episode, we will break down what this means for parents without fear, but with practical action in mind.Here's what we cover:What the latest research says about childhood gut bacteria and bowel cancer risk.How early-life factors like C-section births, antibiotics, and diet can impact long-term gut health.Subtle signs that your child's gut may be out of balance — from tummy troubles to mood changes.Easy, gut-supportive changes you can start making right now (even if life feels busy).

TODAY ON THE ROBERT SCOTT BELL SHOW: LIVE from Beljanski Integrative Cancer Conference, Stage "0" Cancer, RFK vs Food Dyes, CDC COVID Vaccine Recommendation?, Food Linked to Mood, Rising Youth Cancers, Toxin Exposure vs Bowel Cancer, RFK Vaccine Reporting Battle, Autism Vaccine Belief Surges, Teen Mood Crisis, and MORE! https://robertscottbell.com/live-from-beljanski-integrative-cancer-conference-stage-0-cancer-rfk-vs-food-dyes-cdc-covid-vaccine-recommendation-food-linked-to-mood-rising-youth-cancers-toxin-exposure-vs-bowel-cancer-r/

April is bowel cancer awareness month. With this in mind we talk to Dr Alan Desmond, consultant gastroenterologist, about how to reduce our risk of developing bowel cancer, one of the commonest cancers in the Western world, and how diet and lifestyle can improve prognosis for people already living with this condition. Alan is a practising clinician, author of 'The Plant-Based Diet Revolution', a well known speaker and now a successful podcaster with his new podcast - ‘Eat This with Dr Alan Desmond', as well as being an Ambassador for Plant-Based Health Professionals UK. For many years Alan has been advocating for a high fibre whole food plant-based diet, for gut health and to reduce the risk of many chronic conditions. To connect with Alan: https://www.alandesmond.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.alandesmond/ Details and tickets for the Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Conference: https://nlmc.org.uk/ Details for joining Plant-Based Health Professionals UK: https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership Factsheets from Plant-Based Health Professionals : https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Bowel-Cancer-Prevention.pdf https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Colon-Cancer.pdf https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Colonoscopy-on-a-vegan-diet-231208.pdf Studies discussed: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-068921 https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-health-diet-and-you/ https://www.ceu.ox.ac.uk/research/epic-oxford-1 https://adventisthealthstudy.org/studies/AHS-2/findings-lifestyle-diet-disease https://www.bluezones.com/ https://www.wcrf.org/preventing-cancer/cancer-prevention/our-cancer-prevention-recommendations/ https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.21.01784 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55219-5

Lucie Morris-Marr was a fit and healthy 44 year old, mother of two when she received a shock diagnosis of invasive stage four bowel cancer. She had no family history, was a non smoker, had a varied diet, a good weight and wasn't a heavy drinker. Lucie had just published her first non fiction book into the secret trial and conviction of Australian Catholic Cardinal George Pell. As her treatment began, all publicity events for that book were cancelled, and she defaulted to her journalistic instincts - digging deeper into other possible links to bowel cancer. What she discovered was a wealth of scientific studies linking regular consumption of processed meats with bowel cancer. Her new book Processed, draws on this science, and her own experience, to make the case for much better understanding of the risks to human health from processed meat.

People referred to the public health system gastro departments for colonoscopies or other exams are waiting months for an appointment even when they have symptoms that could be a sign of bowel cancer or other disease. Checkpoint has spoken to people experiencing worrying symptoms who are waiting for a colonoscopy or gastroscopy, while hearing nothing from Health New Zealand. Health NZ has told us it has staff recruitment drives, along with other ideas under way, to cope with an increase in gastro referrals. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Dr Anisha Patel is a GP specializing in women's health whose world was turned upside down with a diagnosis of stage three bowel cancer. She's the author of the brilliant book Everything You'd Hoped You'd Never Need To Know About Bowel Cancer. I found this such a powerful book, with lessons for all of us whether or not we have cancer. This is a very inspiring conversation about women's health and how we can all take better care if ourselves. We talk about: - Anisha's cancer journey - How she found the strength to write her book - Vulnerability and the emotional aspects of cancer - Openness about one's health with children and family - The long-term effects and life after cancer - Surviving the survival - Psychosocial impacts and support - Anisha's work with charities to set up a life after cancer clinic to provide specialized support - Histamine intolerance and menopause - Balancing hormone therapy and histamine intolerance - Empowering women with knowledge And lots more! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel's book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers: UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/ US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/ Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/ You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast. Recommended by the Sunday Times. Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide. You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com. Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.