Family bowel cancer history ‘increases odds of surviving disease’

People who contract bowel cancer are more likely to survive if they have a family history of the disease, according to a new study.

Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Leeds have carried out research that matched the genetic data of nearly 11,000 bowel cancer patients with data from the National Cancer Data Repository on treatment and survival rates.

It was found that the 1,700 people with an established family history of bowel cancer were 11 percent less likely to die within five years of diagnosis.

Researchers surmise that this is because these patients are more likely to have right-sided tumours that are biologically different to other tumour types and respond better to treatment.

Dr Julie Sharp, senior science information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "Studies like this, which link genetic data to detailed patient information, may help us develop a more personalised approach to treating cancer in the future."

Bowel cancer affects more than 36,500 people in the UK every year, according to the charity, making it the second most common cancer in women and the third in men.