Scottish researchers lead major UK study aimed at improving bowel cancer prevention

Researchers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are leading a major new UK-wide study aimed at improving how doctors predict and prevent bowel cancer.

The £1.75m, five-year research programme, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, will investigate how bowel cancer develops from early pre-cancerous growths known as polyps.

The study is being jointly led by Professor Joanne Edwards and Dr Stephen McSorley from the University of Glasgow’s School of Cancer Sciences, Dr Philip Dunne from the Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast, and Professor Trevor Graham at the Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Researchers hope the findings will help shape future screening and surveillance strategies, allowing more personalised approaches to bowel cancer prevention while reducing unnecessary procedures for patients.

Claire Knight, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Bowel screening provides an important opportunity for early detection of bowel cancer and precancerous polyps.

“But currently, we don’t always know which patients are most at risk of developing high-risk polyps or cancer in the future.

“This exciting programme will allow researchers to study these polyps in far greater detail than has been possible before with the goal of developing better ways to predict bowel cancer risk and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.”

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 40,000 people diagnosed each year.

Most cases develop slowly from polyps in the lining of the bowel, which are often detected through routine screening.

While many polyps remain harmless, some can develop into cancer if they are not removed or closely monitored. Doctors currently rely largely on the size and appearance of polyps to assess future risk, but researchers say these methods are not always accurate.

The new programme will analyse thousands of polyp samples using advanced molecular technologies to better understand why some progress towards cancer while others do not.

Scientists say the work will also create a major research resource that could support discoveries in cancer prevention around the world.

Professor Joanne Edwards, co-lead on the project from the University of Glasgow’s School of Cancer Sciences, said: “By better predicting who is likely to go on to get polyps or bowel cancer in the future, this work will help participants in bowel screening and patients undergoing bowel surveillance by identifying those who do and do not need more colonoscopy tests.”

The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK was set up to continue the legacy of Dame Deborah James, supporting research and awareness projects aimed at improving outcomes for people affected by cancer.