Over half a million new cases of bowel cancer in England by 2040

There are projected to be around 609,000 new bowel cancer cases diagnosed in England between now and 2040, new analysis by Cancer Research UK has revealed. 

The new figures are published as One Cancer Voice – a coalition of the UK’s leading cancer charities including Bowel Cancer UK – comes together to highlight what the UK government must include in its upcoming National Cancer Plan for England to lead the world in tackling cancer.

The National Cancer Plan presents a once in a decade opportunity for the Government to address the barriers to early diagnosis, improve outcomes for bowel cancer patients and achieve the government’s ambition to reduce cancer deaths over the next ten years.

We bought together our patient community, leading clinical experts and the wider evidence base and submitted a response to the government on what we want the National Cancer Plan to include as a priority, such as:  

• Improving the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to prevent more bowel cancers. This includes making the test more sensitive so we can diagnose bowel cancer earlier and even prevent it from developing in the first place.

• Expanding the ‘at home test’ to increase earlier diagnosis and access to these tests. We’d like to see the NHS supported to trial offering at-home Faecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) for people with bowel cancer symptoms through a wider range of healthcare professionals such as pharmacists or NHS 1111, not just GPs.

• Reducing bowel cancer deaths by addressing emergency presentations. We want to work with the government to investigate where people seek help before an emergency diagnosis, so we can understand the causes and develop interventions. Around one in five bowel cancers are diagnosed in A&E, usually at a late stage when treatment is more difficult. 

Dr Lisa Wilde, Director of Research, Policy and Influencing at Bowel Cancer UK, says: “The NHS in England is already struggling to meet demand, with too many bowel cancer patients waiting too long to be diagnosed and treated. With more than half a million new cases projected by 2040, the system simply won’t cope without bold and urgent action.  

“The National Cancer Plan is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to change this. It must set out ambitious measures to improve early diagnosis, reduce the number of people diagnosed in emergency settings like A&E, and ultimately save more lives from bowel cancer.” 

Paul Davies, MP for Colne Valley and one of our Parliamentary Champions who has firsthand experience of bowel cancer, says: “Cancer touches every family, every community. The National Cancer Plan must be more than a promise - it must be a bold, transformative commitment. I join calls for the government to be ambitious, and deliver a plan that accelerates research, improves care, and ensures equity. Together, we can turn hope into action and make beating cancer a national priority.” 

Linda Strudwick, 68 from Sheffield, was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in March 2025. She says: “When I had my colonoscopy, I was told straight away that it was cancer but the person doing the test was unable to answer any of my questions. I had to wait six weeks to see an oncologist and get the full diagnosis and a treatment plan. I know NHS staff are doing all they can within the system they work in, but the wait was torture. Being told I had stage four bowel cancer, that it was inoperable and incurable, was devastating. The whole process has been incredibly difficult. 

“I totally believe in further investment in research to find a cure for cancer, but also improvements in detecting cancer early so there is a chance of treatment. I just don’t want any other family to go through what my loved ones and I are experiencing.”

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