Gerald Jones MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney is supporting Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer’s campaign to help raise awareness of bowel cancer symptoms, as part of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month this April.

In April alone, 188 people in Wales will be diagnosed with bowel cancer and 77 people will die of the disease. It’s the nation’s second biggest cancer killer. However, it shouldn’t be. It’s treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer but this drops significantly as the disease develops. Early diagnosis really does save lives, but only around 15% of people are diagnosed at the earliest stage.

Being aware of key symptoms and visiting your GP if things don’t feel right can help increase chances of an early diagnosis. However, according to a recent poll commissioned of 4,000 UK adults by the charity, a third of people in Wales (33%) were not aware of any symptoms at all.

Gerald Jones MP said:

“With as much as a third of people in Wales not being aware of any symptoms of Bowel Cancer, and given early diagnosis can save lives, I would urge all constituents, if they are worried that something is wrong, to visit their GP. Your GP may be able to put your mind at rest or refer you for further testing. It is too important to ignore.

“Bowel Cancer UK’s website also offers more information and guidance on the symptoms of Bowel Cancer, and I would encourage everyone to visit it here: bowelcanceruk.org.uk/symptomsguide.”

Asha Kaur, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer, said, “I’d like to thank Gerald Jones MP for supporting our campaign during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month to increase awareness of key bowel cancer symptoms. Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That’s almost 42,000 people every year. But it’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early.”

To help you raise awareness of bowel cancer, Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer is giving away free copies of their handy symptoms guide for you to share with your family and friends. Sign up now to receive your free guide here: bowelcanceruk.org.uk/symptomsguide

Visit Bowel Cancer UK or Beating Bowel Cancer’s website to find out how you can get involved in their campaign for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month: bowelcanceruk.org.uk or beatingbowelcancer.org