Approved research

Prevalence and risk factors for benign and malignant colorectal disease in the UK.

Lay summary

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths in the UK. Similarly non malignant bowel conditions such as rectal prolapse affect a large proportion of the population. We aim to identify common risk factors for bowel disease in order to correlate known associations to see if they hold true within the UK Biobank population. In particular, we are interested in lifestyle factors such as obesity, dietary factors,levels of exercise and type of work. In females, we are particularly interested in menstrual and obstetric history as a possible precursor to the development of rectal prolapse. The initial application will form the basis of an intended long term project using this resource. We also hope to link any risk factors that we identify to colon cancers that have already developed in the UK Biobank population. All our data will be published and returned to the UK Biobank for enrichment of the resource. We do not require participant re-contact or the depletion of biological samples.