More experience, a little more time, a touch of dye: bowel-cancer checks for high-risk patients just got sharper clues

People with inflammatory bowel disease — long-term swelling of the bowel — face a higher risk of bowel cancer, so they get regular camera checks. A University of Edinburgh team studied 15,971 of these checks across the UK, recorded in the National Endoscopy Database for 2024 and carried out by 4,669 professionals. Checks done by more experienced practitioners, given longer appointment slots, or using a dye that highlights the bowel lining found more polyps — the small growths that can turn dangerous. The study, in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, is observational: it does not yet prove fewer cancers, but it gives services three practical levers to test.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being