Today is World Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Day

Today (Wednesday 29 September) is World Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Day.

Every year over 42,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer, with 10,000 people diagnosed at stage 4. This is also known as advanced, secondary or metastatic disease, and is when the cancer spreads from the bowel to other parts of the body, most commonly the liver or lungs.

To mark World Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Day, we're shining a light on our support, research and campaigns for those diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.

• Visit the advanced bowel cancer section of our website.

• Join our living well with advanced bowel cancer virtual event on Saturday 6 November 10.30am-1.15pm on Zoom. It's a free information and support event for patients, friends and family that have been affected by advanced bowel cancer. Experts will cover a range of information all with a special focus on advanced bowel cancer. Topics will include how to get involved with clinical trials, available treatment options, coping with the side effects from treatment, and managing your cancer journey.
• Read and download our booklet ‘Treating advanced bowel cancer’ which explains what advanced bowel cancer is and treatment options for when bowel cancer has spread to the liver, lungs, peritoneum or other sites. It covers how to cope with the diagnosis, manage your emotions and maintain a good quality of life.
• Read stories about people with advanced bowel cancer.
• We've joined forces with our international colleagues, Bowel Cancer Australia, Colorectal Cancer Alliance, Colorectal Cancer Canada, Digestive Cancer Europe, Fight Colorectal Cancer and the Global Colon Cancer Association to raise awareness today of the importance of knowing your biomarker status to ensure more people affected by advanced bowel cancer experience the best possible outcomes. Biomarker testing identifies the unique mutations in your tumour, helping your healthcare team to develop a treatment plan just for you, which can help improve quality of life when delivered with high-quality care.

• Listen to our podcast on living well with advanced bowel cancer, our host BBC journalist George Alagiah interviews Matthew Wiltshire who has stage four bowel cancer, and the charity’s former Chief Executive, Deborah Alsina MBE.
• We have a group on our forum for people affected by advanced bowel cancer. It’s a welcoming place to ask questions, read about people’s experiences and support each other.

• Join our stage 4 support group on Facebook.

• In partnership with the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons, we fund the UK's first Surgical Specialty Lead in Colorectal Liver Metastases. Mr Robert Jones, a surgical oncologist at Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Liverpool as the UK’s first, is encouraging more surgical research into advanced bowel cancer which we hope will lead to the extension of treatment options for more people.

• Watch videos on our YouTube channel of stage four patients, like Steve, talking about their story.

• We launched our Get Personal campaign in 2017, which aims to improve access to treatment and quality of life for those diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.
• Help lead improvements and care for people with advanced bowel cancer by becoming one of our campaign supporters. Sign up today and we'll support you to take action and make real change happen on issues that really matter to people with the disease.
• We strive to provide support and information to everyone affected by the disease, and fund breakthroughs in research to help save lives. Donate now and help us stop people dying of bowel cancer.

• Read Steve's blog on what he wished he'd been told when he was diagnosed at stage 4 in 2013.