Codi ymwybyddiaeth o ganser y coluddyn

TV and radio presenter Garry Owen, colorectal surgeon Mr Gethin Williams and Assembly Member Steffan Lewis will shine a spotlight on bowel cancer in Wales, at an event hosted by Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer and Cardiff University, at the National Eisteddfod of Wales on Tuesday 7 August.

If you’ve been affected by bowel cancer or are hoping to learn more about the disease join the free Q&A from 2:30pm – 4pm.

Gary and Gethin will cover bowel cancer symptoms, the importance of screening and treatment advances in Wales; whilst Steffan will share his personal experience of being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.

There’s also an opportunity for the audience to ask their own questions.

Garry, whose wife was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, says: "This will be an opportunity to learn more about bowel cancer. Many of the questions that I'll be asking could well come from personal experience following my wife's diagnosis. Thankfully, after treatment and excellent care, she is now fit and well."

Steffan, Assembly Member for South East Wales, was diagnosed at the end of 2017 and talks openly about his experience: “I’ll never forget the day I was diagnosed and my whole world collapsed but I’ll also always be grateful to those people in the NHS who have provided me with such care and support. The entire bowel cancer journey is daunting, scary and unpredictable; from colorectal surgery through to chemotherapy and its side-effects. But we must learn to talk more about it as a society so we can eventually defeat this dreadful disease.”

Gethin Williams, who is a consultant colorectal surgeon at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport and lecturer in surgery at Cardiff University, said: “The treatment of bowel cancer has improved dramatically since the start of the NHS. It is a treatable and curable disease if caught early.  Surgery plays a vital role in curing and treating bowel cancer and surgical improvements are being made all the time. Today, patients undergoing key hole surgery will have vastly improved outcomes from their surgery.”

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Wales.

More than 2,200 people are diagnosed each year and over 900 people die of the disease.  

Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer.

Cardiff University has invested important research into advances in bowel cancer treatment, including maximising effectiveness of colonoscopies and progressive immunotherapies for advanced disease.

Yn gynharach eleni, lansiodd Bowel Cancer UK a Beating Bowel Cancer adroddiad newydd yng Nghymru yn nodi bod ychydig dros hanner y cleifion sy’n cael diagnosis o ganser y coluddyn yn goroesi am bum mlynedd neu fwy (58%), nid yw pump o'r saith bwrdd iechyd yn cydymffurfio â’r amseroedd aros ar gyfer profion sy’n gallu rhoi diagnosis o ganser y coluddyn ac mae nifer dychrynllyd o isel o bobl cymwys yn cymryd rhan yn rhaglen sgrinio'r coluddyn.

Gall aelodau o'r cyhoedd fod yn rhan o’r digwyddiad a fydd yn cael ei gynnal ym mhabell Prifysgol Caerdydd (Rhif 33) am 14:30 ddydd Mawrth 7 Awst.

Bydd yn cael ei gynnal yn Gymraeg, gyda chyfleusterau cyfieithu ar gael, a bydd lluniaeth.

Bydd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru yn cael ei chynnal yng Nghaerdydd am y tro cyntaf mewn degawd o ddydd Gwener 3 – dydd Sadwrn 11 Awst.