Almost one in five bowel cancer patients in England and Wales diagnosed in an emergency with little progress since 2022
Thursday 8 October 2026
Almost one in five bowel cancer patients in England and Wales are still being diagnosed following an emergency diagnosis, according to the latest National Bowel Cancer Audit (NBOCA).
The figure was 18.7% in 2024, virtually unchanged from 18.6% in 2022. The report highlights limited progress in reducing emergency diagnosis, despite national efforts to diagnose cancer earlier.
This year’s NBOCA State of the Nation report examines care for people diagnosed with or undergoing surgery for bowel cancer in England and Wales from January to December 2024.
There are some things to be positive about which is great, including improvement in survival after major surgery, but the report also highlight areas where significant challenges remain.
For people undergoing major bowel cancer surgery in 2024, 9.2% of those operated on during an emergency admission died within 90 days, compared with 1.5% following a planned admission. The report calls for greater focus on improving care for this higher-risk group. This was something that our Clinical Advisory Board also highlighted when they met earlier this week.
The audit also reports differences in waiting times after diagnosis. Among people with stage 1–3 colon cancer in England included in the analysis, the median time from diagnosis to a treatment decision was 24 days following a routine GP referral, compared with 15 days following an urgent suspected cancer referral.
Variation also persists between healthcare providers on certain outcomes and treatment options, meaning that where patients live still affects their chances of receiving the best possible care.
The audit particularly highlighted timely stoma reversals as a key priority for healthcare providers, as unclosed stomas varied between 13% and 83% across providers. Only one third of providers met local targets for closing stomas within 18 months of surgery.
It also emphasised the need to optimise certain treatment pathways for patients, such as radiotherapy before surgery and going straight to surgery, with improved cancer staging.
Jennifer Bamforth, Head of Policy and Influencing at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “Too many people are still finding out they have bowel cancer in an emergency. Behind these figures are patients and families facing a frightening diagnosis, often when the disease is more advanced and harder to treat.
“It’s encouraging to see improvements in care, but the lack of progress in reducing emergency diagnoses shows why this must remain a priority, along with reducing variation in care.“
"Through our Ending Emergency Diagnosis campaign, we’re bringing together people affected by bowel cancer, healthcare professionals and policymakers to understand how these diagnoses happen and develop solutions.
“We need governments and health services to work with us to remove barriers to earlier diagnosis and reduce avoidable emergency diagnoses. Wherever people live, they should be able to get the tests and care they need promptly.”
We’re here for you:
- Visit our online communities, welcoming places for anyone affected by bowel cancer to get help and support
- Email our “Ask the Nurse” service, offering expert info and reassurance
- View our range of health information publications to help you navigate treatment and beyond
Note: Our campaign has used 'around one in four' to describe the scale of emergency diagnosis across the UK, drawing on different national data sources and years. The figure in this release relates specifically to the population and measure covered by the latest National Bowel Cancer Audit in England and Wales. The figures should not be interpreted as a directly comparable trend.
