MP Rosie Cooper met with representatives from Beating Bowel Cancer, at their annual BE LOUD BE CLEAR reception asking Parliamentarians to be loud about bowel cancer and raise awareness of the importance of screening.

Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. Of the 100 people diagnosed with bowel cancer every day, almost half will die from the condition. Yet over 90% of cases can be treated successfully if diagnosed early enough. Ensuring that people take part in the NHS bowel cancer screening programme is essential in improving outcomes for bowel cancer patients.

All people aged 60-69 in England are invited for screening every two years through the NHS bowel cancer screening programme. Yet, in West Lancashire only 57% of people have taken part in screening since it was made available. Beating Bowel Cancer is calling for those people eligible to take part in the screening programme, with the goal of screening one million additional people in the UK over the next two years, and ultimately saving over 2,000 lives through early diagnosis of bowel cancer.

Rosie Cooper MP said: “I was pleased to learn today that 767,034 people in the midlands and northwest screening hub have taken part in bowel cancer screening to date. However, too many people are still dying from this curable disease.

"If 77% of people in the midlands and northwest screening hub took part in bowel cancer screening, in the next two years, 1796 cancers could be detected. That is why I am being LOUD about the importance of screening to ensure that people in West Lancashire stay CLEAR of bowel cancer.”

Hilary Whittaker, Chief Executive of Beating Bowel cancer said: “We are delighted that Rosie Cooper MP is supporting Beating Bowel Cancer’s call to action on screening. Whilst significant improvements have been made since the start of the programme, we know more lives could be saved if participation in screening increased. That is why Beating Bowel Cancer is calling for policymakers and the NHS to commit to ensuring one million additional people are screened by 2012 and urges the government to extend the age range for screening in England to those in their fifties so that more people at risk of bowel cancer have the opportunity to be screened for, and beat the disease.”