Someone dies of bowel cancer every 30 minutes in the UK. It’s the second biggest cancer killer, but it shouldn’t be, because it’s treatable and curable. Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stages will survive the disease.

We are supporting Bowel Cancer UK this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month to ensure more people #KnowTheHigh5 symptoms of bowel cancer. So, what should you look out for?

Following World Cancer Day and as part of a national cancer awareness campaign, an NHS double-decker bus visited Newham to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.

In a new ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign that is the first of its kind nationally, NHS England is encouraging people who have been sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit to complete the test.

North East London Cancer Alliance, in partnership with Barts Health and Barts Charity, has formally launched a new MRI scanner at the Mile End Early Diagnosis Centre.

Saturday 4 February is World Cancer Day. This year’s theme is ‘Close the Care Gap’, part of a three-year campaign to reduce inequalities, something close to our hearts in north east London. What can you do to help? Here are a few ideas:

Local volunteers are helping to save lives from womb cancer, the 4th most common cancer in women. This is through a unique campaign which is designed to raise awareness of its signs and symptoms, in particular that bleeding after the menopause is not normal.

This week is cervical cancer prevention week, and we are working hard to encourage people in north east London to attend their cervical screening appointments.

We have launched a short, animated video to help explain what happens at a lung health check and to show how quick and simple it is to have a scan of your lungs. This is aimed at anyone who has been invited to attend, as part of the NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme.