The NHS Bowel cancer screening programme achieves the anticipated survival improvement, but participation must be improved.

Purpose The NHS Bowel cancer screening programme (NHSBCSP) aims to reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) cumulative mortality by up to 23 per cent; long-term outcomes at national level are not yet known. The purpose of this paper is to examine a local population of CRC patients of screening age for their characteristics and long-term survival in relation to their presentation, including through the NHSBCSP. Design/methodology/approach Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained CRC database for the years 2009-2014 in a single district hospital providing bowel cancer screening and tertiary rectal cancer services.

Volume-outcome relationship for colorectal cancer in primary care: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose Higher caseloads are associated with better outcomes for many conditions treated in secondary and tertiary care settings, including colorectal cancer (CRC). There is little known whether such volume-outcome relationship exist in primary care settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine general practitioner (GP) CRC-specific caseload for possible associations with referral pathways, disease stage and CRC patients' overall survival.