Government to expand bowel cancer awareness campaign nationally

The government has announced plans to expand a bowel cancer awareness campaign to a national scale next January, following its successful introduction in the south-west and east of England.

As part of an 8.5 million pound scheme, the Be Clear on Cancer initiative will feature advertisements showing GPs discussing bowel cancer issues, with the aim of raising awareness of symptoms and making them easier to discuss.

Regional pilots have been followed by a significant increase in the number of GP visits and referrals for the disease, with recognition and support for the campaign also shown to be high.

Based on this success, the Department of Health is also planning to launch a similar campaign for lung cancer in various areas.

Health minister Paul Burstow said: "We are concentrating on what is most important to patients and their families – improving cancer outcomes."

Earlier this month, Cancer Research UK laid out a new strategy recommendation that called for better funding infrastructure for potentially life-saving cancer studies within the UK.