BBC newsreader, George Alagiah, is to undergo medical treatment for bowel cancer for the second time.
The 62-year-old presenter of the BBC News at Six confirmed the sad news in a statement through his agent, Mary Greenham that the disease had recurred.
She said Alagiah, a father of two, was in discussions with doctors about options for treatment.
Alagiah spoke of his determination to fight the disease for a second time. “My brilliant doctors are determined to get me back to a disease-free state and I know they have the skill to do just that,” he said.
“I learned last time around how important the support of family and friends is and I am blessed in that department. I genuinely feel positive as I prepare for this new challenge.”
In a tweet this morning, he added: ‘Always knew cancer could come back but still tough dealing with disappointment.
‘Harder for my family. I know what I have to do: stay calm, stay content, stay fit and let doctors do their best.’
The Sri-Lanka-born presenter was previously diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, which later spread to his liver and lymph nodes. In November 2015, he returned to work after being cleared of the disease following extensive treatment.
Alagiah first informed his doctors of a problem in 2014, after a colonoscopy, a tumour was discovered on his bowel.
MRI scans later detected eight tumours in his liver. He had several rounds of chemotherapy and three major operations, one of which included the removal of most of his liver.
In 2016, Alagiah who joined the BBC in 1989 spoke about the chances of the disease recurring. “I get anxious and then there is a huge relief when the doctor tells me it is clear again. But I am under no illusions.
“The doctor warned me last year: ‘Your cancer knows the road, the pathway out of the gut.’ It can happen again,” he told the Telegraph:
Read facts about Bowel Cancer below.
Bowel cancer is also called colorectal cancer. It affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum.
The cells in your body normally divide and grow in a controlled way. When cancer develops, the cells change and can grow in an uncontrolled way.
Most bowel cancers develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. But not all polyps develop into cancer.
If your doctor finds any polyps, he or she can remove them to prevent them becoming cancerous.
Cancer cells may stay in the bowel or they might spread to other parts of the body, like the liver or lungs.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, after breast, prostate and lung cancers.
Over 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. Nine in ten cases are over the age of 50.
Bowel cancer is treatable and curable, especially if it’s diagnosed early. There is only a small chance that bowel cancer will come back after five years.
Almost 16,000 people die from bowel cancer in the UK every year. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, behind lung cancer.
Source: Bowel Cancer UK
