Stafford Hospital targets bowel cancer in under60s

Stafford Hospital has become the first in the UK to employ a dedicated nurse for bowel cancer in the under 60s

Cancer support charity Macmillan has supplied the nurse who will look for the condition in people as young as 18 to the Mid Staffordshire Trust

The post is partly funded by a charity run by Christine Woodward whose son died from the disease

The trust said it would also be able to offer family genetic screening for bowel cancer for the first time

The new threeyear pilot service aims to identify highrisk patients and support cases of bowel cancer in younger patients earlier by removing the age criterion which is currently 60

This post will be based primarily at Stafford Hospital with clinics held at Cannock Chase Hospital and has been paid for by the Martin Woodward Cancer Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support

Save lives
Mrs Woodward who set up the trust in memory of her son said Martin died 23 days after surgery from bowel cancer he did not know he had early diagnosis could have saved his life

The launch of this project is the culmination of several years hard work and we hope it will help prevent other families from experiencing what we have gone through That has been our only aim from the start

Sunitha Rajan the new Macmillan nurse said I was very touched by Martins story and am confident that this new service will save lives

If all goes to plan it will mean the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer in those aged 1859 will be recognised more frequently both by the public and by GPs

GPs have been notified of the new service and have also been asked not to assume that a patient doesnt have bowel cancer based solely on their age

Date : 11 Apr, 2012
Reference : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-17662232

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