Nine in ten people with bowel cancer that is caught early will survive the disease, according to new statistics published today (Tuesday).
Experts believe this shows how vital it is for people with possible symptoms to get them checked out so that any cancer can be diagnosed as early as possible.
They also say that this highlights the importance of taking part in bowel cancer screening when invited.
The latest figures are the first to be based on national statistics and are published by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service (NYCRIS).
Doctors say that this good news is mainly because of improved surgical techniques.
Professor David Forman, director of NYCRIS and information lead for the NCIN, said: "It's really encouraging that more people with bowel cancer will now be successfully treated, if the disease is caught at the earliest stage.
"But overall, only half of people with bowel cancer survive, so this shows how crucial it is that the disease is spotted early.
"More than 80 per cent of bowel cancer cases occur in people over 60. Bowel cancer screening will be available across England for people in this age group by December 2009, and it can pick up changes that could be the earliest sign of cancer. Pilot screening programmes showed that over half of cancers detected through screening are at the earliest stage.
"So it is really important that people take part in screening when they're sent the kit - it could save their life."
Paul Finan, bowel cancer surgeon and chair of the NCIN's bowel cancer group, said: "The reason why more people are surviving early stage bowel cancer than ever before is mostly because of many improvements in surgery. This includes using less invasive techniques, and patients receiving better care around the time of surgery - like more sophisticated anaesthetic care and better care during hospital admission and recovery."