Ben Richards' Tryst With Bowel Cancer

Ben Richards who played Nate Roberts in the ITV police drama, has now revealed his battle with bowel cancer.

The 41-year-old said that his attitude to the symptoms he experienced was very casual and he did what most men would do, to ignore and not even think of seeing a doctor.

'Rear-view Mirror' To Detect Bowel Cancer Developed
A new device known as the Third Eye Retroscope acts as a 'rear-view mirror' that can help the surgeon detect bowel cancer during examinations and its abnormalities.

He was under the false impression that the blood in his stool and irregular bowel movements were due to internal piles and attributed the bleeding to his frequent travel.

At his wife’s insistence, he visited a GP, who conducted tests to find a 6cm tumor in his bowel. He was then diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo an emergency surgery.

He said: "Surgeons were forced to remove almost half my bowel which was incredibly painful. The whole combination of treatments was a shock to the system and to be honest I felt awful."

Benefit from Avastin in Bowel Cancer Could be Predicted by Protein Levels
Until now there has been no way of predicting the benefit of Avastin, or Bevacizumab, in bowel cancer although it has been shown to increase survival.

In remission now after undergoing several cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he now wants to advice people about bowel cancer and the importance of eating and living healthy.

Bowel Cancer Rates on Rise
Among men, bowel cancer rates have increased by 29 percent and among women only by about six percent, states report.

Source-Medindia