People who attend bowel cancer screenings are more likely to have the condition diagnosed early enough to be successfully treated, according to a National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) study.

The report assessed data from the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit to compare the stage at diagnosis of bowel cancers picked up through screening with those diagnosed following the onset of symptoms.

It was found that 18.5 percent of cancer cases detected through screening were at the earliest stages, compared to 9.4 percent among patients who were already displaying symptoms of the disease.

Chris Carrigan, head of the NCIN, explained that more than 90 percent of people survive bowel cancer for at least five years when it is caught as early as possible.

He added: "This study highlights the potential improvements we can make through encouraging more people to take up their screening invitation so the disease is diagnosed earlier."

This comes after the NCIN published recent research showing that the poorest bowel cancer patients are more likely to die within a month of surgery than wealthier people.