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Delays to diagnosis of bowel cancer

Around 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients die within a month of being diagnosed, according to the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN).

Around 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients die within a month of being diagnosed, according to the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN).

Of those patients dying within a month, 56 per cent were aged over 80 and 60 per cent were diagnosed following an emergency admission to hospital.

The researchers concluded that a reluctance by elderly patients to report symptoms meant many were diagnosed at a late stage in the course of their illness.