The North East and North Cumbria has more cases of bowel cancer than the national average, and NHS bosses have flagged rising levels of the illness in young people as a cause for concern.
Data analysis presented to the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) highlighted that the regions rate of colorectal cancer is 68.8 cases per 100,000 people, some way above the national average of 63.3. Every area in the region is above the average, with the starkest figures seen in Sunderland with a rate of 77.4 cases per 100,000 people.
The figures date from 2020 and were discussed at a meeting of the ICB in the last week of March. The North East also has a below-average survival rate for the cancer: the one-year survival rate ranges between 81.3% in Newcastle and Gateshead and 79% in County Durham. In our area, South Tyneside is the place where the most cases are caught early.
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Presenting the figures at the board meeting, the UK's former chief medical officer Professor Sir Liam Donaldson - who chairs the ICB - said: "I thought there were some very interesting messages here, both specific to colorectal cancer, but also which give us some general impressions of what it means when we start to look at the health of 3 million people rather than, as in the past, looking at them through the lens of eight separate CCGs.
"The incidence rate which is the number of new cases of colorectal cancer, in our Integrated Care System (ICS) is higher at 68.8 100,000 people than the national level. But also if you look within the ICS, you can see a very substantial variation."
Professor Sir Liam, also formerly Chancellor of Newcastle University, added: "There's a lot of research evidence emerging across all developed countries [which] have an increasing incidence of large bowel cancer in younger people. We're also higher than the national average, and there is also a similar [regional] variation. So, bowel cancer in younger people - for which there is currently not a screening programme - is a growing issue of growing importance. moving on quickly, very quickly."
The top medic warned that the data was "observational" and had to be considered carefully, but said it provided "some signals" about what NHS leaders should be thinking about when they seek to improve public health and the performance of services. At the end of his presentation he shared the message: "Data saves lives."
The ICB has declared its focus on addressing public health outcomes that are "way behind" the rest of the UK in our area. Professor Sir Liam posed ten questions to the board's data team - including around bowel cancer care, cancer screening programmes and diabetes.
In response, Jacqueline Myers - the ICB's chief of strategy and operations - responded by highlighting that NHS organisations such as the Northern Cancer Alliance use this data as part of work to improve cancer care. She also said: "In our cancer plan, which will form part of our overall five year strategy delivery plan, we'll have some clear actions around increasing pickup of screening programmes and in particular, addressing them in communities where we've got low take-up."
She said there would be the "high level goal" of improving healthy life expectancy, as well as "some specific improvements" looking to intervene to improve health and survival rates.
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