Help give everyone with bowel cancer the hope of a cure

“I prepared for my kids to grow up without me. Thanks to research, I am now cancer-free”

Sophie Umhofer (pictured above), a mother of two, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2018, aged 36. She was told she would be unlikely to see her 40th birthday. Sophie joined an experimental immunotherapy trial, specifically for patients whose cancers have a faulty BRAF gene, and, after two years, was told there was no sign of cancer in her body.

Read Sophie's story

We urgently need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat this disease. With your support, we can drive forward bold new research, to save more lives.

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What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer, often called colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer that begins in the large bowel, which includes the colon and the rectum.

One in 20 people will develop the disease in their lifetime

17,400 people lose their lives to bowel cancer each year

Today, more than one in two people survive more than ten years

Thanks to screening programmes, earlier diagnosis and advances in treatment, survival has improved dramatically in recent decades. Our world-class scientists are pushing the boundaries of research to defeat bowel cancer, but it still remains the second biggest cancer killer in the UK.

Why do we need more research into bowel cancer?

A worrying trend is emerging, as bowel cancer rates in people under the age of 50 are rising sharply – and are expected to double again between 2010 and 2030. These cancers in younger adults are often more aggressive and diagnosed later, leading to poorer outcomes.

Our scientists are tackling the rise in cases among young adults and improving early detection in people at increased risk – so that we can prevent these cancers from growing in the first place. Together, this research is shaping a future in which bowel cancer is more preventable, predictable and treatable.

Caroline's story

Caroline’s only child, Bradley, was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer aged 22 and died 14 months later. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Bradley’s death.

"I support research into why rates of early-onset bowel cancer are rising. I don't want any other young person, or parent, to endure what we went through."

Read Caroline's story

Mo's story

Shortly before his 32nd birthday, Mo Haque was diagnosed with stage four inoperable bowel cancer. He was told there was only a small chance he could be treated successfully.

Following his diagnosis, Mo also learned he had Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition which makes him more pre-disposed to certain types of cancer. Mo started immunotherapy in 2016, which was successful. Since 2018, there has been no evidence of disease in his body.

"Cancer research has been absolutely crucial in keeping me alive."

Our bowel cancer research

Professor Trevor Graham combines evolutionary science, computational biology and cutting-edge laboratory techniques to understand how bowel cancer evolves as it grows, spreads and responds to treatment.

Professor Graham’s team has recently pinpointed bowel cancer’s ‘Big Bang’ moment – the point at which cancer cells first evade the immune system through DNA changes that make tumours harder to spot. This exciting discovery could help researchers develop new, more effective treatments that can stop the disease in its tracks. It could also help doctors identify which patients are more likely to benefit from immunotherapy treatments.

Research led by Professor Anguraj Sadanandam has shown that the immune system plays a critical role in radiotherapy’s success. By studying tumour samples from 53 patients, his team discovered that inflammation levels before and after treatment influence outcomes. These insights have helped shape new strategies, such as adding immunotherapy to radiotherapy.

Bold new ideas to defeat bowel cancer

By predicting risk and determining why cases are rising among younger adults, our scientists are finding new ways to prevent and treat bowel cancer more effectively.

Professor Clare Turnbull has helped to establish a national database to track people with Lynch syndrome – a hereditary condition that raises the lifetime risk of bowel cancer to up to 80 per cent. By ensuring that everyone with Lynch syndrome is invited for regular screening, the registry aims to detect cancers earlier, when treatment is most likely to be successful.

Professor Trevor Graham is co-leading the ‘Boomers Project’. Using advanced molecular techniques to compare tumours from the 1950s with modern-day cancers, the researchers hope to pinpoint how changes in diet, lifestyle and environmental exposures may be contributing to the recent rise in diagnoses in the under 50s. These crucial insights could help shape future strategies to prevent the disease, identify those young adults at highest risk, and ultimately save lives.

Professor Amy Berrington recently led a major study that showed that bowel cancer rates are rising faster in younger adults than in older people. This pattern was different from many other common cancers, where rates rose at similar levels across age groups, highlighting the urgent need to understand what’s driving this worrying trend.