Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK - and nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with it every year in the UK.
It can be found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum. Screening can pick up cancer early which may mean it is easier to treat.
Cancer Research UK explains that the main symptoms of bowel cancer include bleeding from the back passage, blood in your poo or a change in your normal bowel habit, such as needing to go for a poo more often or feeling like you haven't emptied your bowels properly.
Other symptoms could be tummy pain, bloating, losing weight without trying, feeling breathless and feeling very tired for no reason, explains the NHS.
These symptoms can be caused by other conditions too, not just cancer, so it is important to get them checked by a doctor as soon as possible.
At a GP appointment, patients are usually asked about their symptoms, general health, medical history, and whether anyone in their family has had bowel cancer.
Depending on a patient's symptoms, the doctor may feel their tummy and do a rectal examination to check for any lumps.
The treatment offered depends on the size of the cancer, its location, whether it has spread to other parts of the body and the patient's age or general health.
Patients may be offered a combination of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted medicines.
Last year, journalist Dame Deborah James passed away after raising a whopping £7million for research into treating cancer through her Bowelbabe Fund.
After her death, a team of experts funded by Cancer Research UK – which has received cash from the Bowelbabe pot – found a way to stop late-stage bowel cancer from growing.
Steve Bland, husband of Deborah's You, Me and the Big C podcast co-host Rachael, said Deborah would have been "thrilled" by the encouraging news.
He added: "It's extraordinary what's happening in the world of cancer and the speed at which research is moving.
"The passion and drive that people have to make the lives of cancer patients better is amazing. I’m sure this is something Deb would have been thrilled about.
"Deb did so much and she was so passionate about research but we won't get to see the impact of the fundraising she did for decades to come."
The Cancer Research UK funding for the study was allocated several years ago but the Bowelbabe Fund is expected to help future testing of this kind.
A team led by Dr Kevin Myant has been able to block the messages telling cancer to grow, by targeting a specific gene that leaves healthy cells unaffected.
Dr Myant, based at the University of Edinburgh, said the new find could change how bowel cancer is treated in future. He said: "If we can stop splicing from being hijacked, we can stop bowel cancer from growing and make it more vulnerable to treatment.
"When we grew bowel cancer cells in the lab and blocked a gene which the cells need to run splicing, they stopped growing. When we blocked the same gene in normal bowel cells, they grew normally.
"There is an urgent need for better treatments for bowel cancer, particularly where it is caught at a later stage. This research could open up new approaches to treating bowel cancer in the future."
