New figures show that Stepping Hill Hospital has some of the best results in the country for bowel cancer care.  

The National Bowel Cancer Audit for 2017, published nationally, shows high survival rates for patients who have surgery and treatment at the hospital.

Surgery is the most common treatment for bowel cancer, with around 180 people needing surgery every year in Stockport.

The overall 90 day mortality figures for patients treated by Stepping Hill is 1.1% (an improvement on last year’s 1.9%). This is the lowest rating in Greater Manchester, and well below the national average of 3.2%.

The 2 year mortality from bowel cancer has also continued to improve and Stockport remains the lowest in Greater Manchester and well above the National average. This is a reflection of the hard work by many health professionals within the Multi-Disciplinary Cancer Team all working together to follow up cancer patients and prevent recurrence. Work is ongoing to work together across the sector to pool expertise and resources to improve long term outcomes even further for everyone across the sector.

Ed Clark, bowel cancer consultant surgeon at Stepping Hill Hospital said, “We are delighted to see that the latest national audit confirms the high quality of multi-disciplinary cancer care at Stepping Hill Hospital. We believe this is due to specialists working together as a multi-disciplinary team with patients to deliver the best care available. ”

Bowel cancer is the most common cancer in non-smokers and second biggest cause of cancer deaths.  It has been linked to: genetic factors, diet, smoked foods and ageing - with the disease being more common among those over the age of 60. Around 320 men and 270 women die from bowel cancer in Greater Manchester every year.