During the UK’s obesity crisis, the bowel is the third most common cancer after the lung

Colon cancer is now the third most common form of the disease – and experts say our junk food diet is to blame.

In 2021, more than 41,000 patients were diagnosed with the disease in England.

This means colon cancer has overtaken the lungs for the first time since measurements began in 1995.

Only the breasts (almost 50,000) and the prostate (43,000) are affected more.

Officials believe more people being tested – inspired by high-profile cases such as Dame Deborah James’s – have helped boost diagnosis rates.

But obesity, too much red meat and too little fiber can also cause the disease.

Officials say more people being tested and feeling comfortable talking to their doctor are improving diagnosis rates, helped by high-profile cases such as Dame Deborah James (pictured) shedding light on the cancer

There were approximately 41,596 bowel cancer diagnoses recorded in England in 2021.

Between 2019 and 2021, the number of cases increased by 11 percent in men to 2,368 and by 9 percent in women, an increase of 1,566.

These figures represent the largest increase of all cancers in both sexes.

Lynn Dunne, director of the charity Bowel Research UK, said: “It is worrying that cases of bowel cancer are now more common than lung cancer.”

“There is evidence that the number of people under 60 being detected and treated for colorectal cancer is increasing.”

“This may be related to lifestyle issues such as poor diet, and obesity and smoking are also known to play a role.”

Last year, the NHS said Dame Deborah’s campaign had prompted record numbers of people to test themselves for the disease.

The campaigner, columnist and podcast host died of bowel cancer aged 40 last year after raising £7.5m for her BowelBabe fund for Cancer Research UK.

Colon cancer can cause you to have blood in your stool, change your bowel habits, or cause a lump to form in your bowel, which can lead to constipation. Some people also experience weight loss as a result of these symptoms

Last month, in the first analysis of its kind, researchers from Cancer Research UK, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London found that cancer patients were denied an average of 14.1 years of their lives between 2013 and 2017.

The 10-year survival rate for common cancers is now more than 50 percent, and experts expect further improvements to be made in the coming decade.

NHS bosses have urged people not to be “peaky about poo” and many are reluctant to talk about it as a possible symptom of bowel cancer because of embarrassment.

Screening was extended to all adults aged 60 to 74 registered with a GP in England in 2010 and will be extended again to adults over 50 in 2025.

Adults in this age group automatically receive an NHS bowel cancer screening kit every two years, called a faecal immunohistochemistry test (FIT).

During screening, a small sample of stool is collected at home and sent back to a laboratory where it is examined for traces of blood, which could be a sign of cancer.

People with abnormal results will be invited for further investigations, such as a colonoscopy, which can detect precancerous lesions or cancer.

Professor Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England, said: “We are eternally grateful to people like Deborah James, who has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of early detection, and whose efforts have undoubtedly ‘ make a difference lives will be saved.”Ged.”

Dame Deborah’s parents, Heather and Alistair James, also said: “She constantly encouraged people to check their stools to encourage early diagnosis. “If you get a test in the post, take it.”

According to Cancer Research UK, bowel cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in the UK. More than 16,500 people die from it – about 45 a day.

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 107,000 cases and 53,000 deaths from cancer are reported annually in the United States.