£1m project to cut cancer risk

Published on Thursday 19 November 2009 21:55

ADULTS at risk of developing a form of cancer that claims the lives of more than 3,500 Scots a year are to be offered a focused programme of support to improve their health in a £1 million research project led by scientists at Dundee University.

Under the scheme, men and women who could develop colorectal cancer will be given help to tackle a range of risk factors, including their body weight, diet and physical activity, in the hope that the changes will reduce the chances of developing the potentially fatal disease.

Professor Annie Anderson, of Dundee's Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening, said: "Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem and often co-exists with other disorders including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."