Prof Swanton said the findings underlined the importance of early diagnosis of cancer before it had spread, and the need to target the common mutations in the 'trunk' of the cancer.

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"This has the potential to enhance the success of early diagnosis in bowel cancer, which can be vital for these patients, " he said.

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Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of early diagnosis, said international comparisons were useful in helping to understand what was influencing cancer survival.

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"This is likely to reduce the risk of over-diagnosis while still enabling early cancer detection among those most likely to gain from early diagnosis, " they say.

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Early diagnosis is of paramount importance to the subsequent prognosis, treatment, quality of life and ultimate survival of cancer patients.

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She credits early detection with saving her life and volunteered for the American Cancer Society for 12 years following her diagnosis to educate others about the importance of early detection, including serving as the only Spanish speaking volunteer in her area.

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