THE numbers of people suffering from stomach and oesophageal cancers has been rising at an alarming rate in recent years.

And the north west, along with the north east, has seen the biggest growth in numbers of anywhere in Britain.

Cancers in these areas of the body now account for one in seven of all cancers.

Although there are plenty of theories as to why the incidence has gone up so much, no-one is certain what the reasons are for this.

Over the last 10 years there has been a 10-fold increase, leading to the average of 600 cases in East Lancashire each year.

It makes campaigns such as the Lancashire Evening Telegraph Magic Eye Appeal, which aims to raise £200,000 for a cancer scanner to help diagnose the conditions, all the more important.

But there is still a need for doctors to get to the heart of the problem, and so be able to treat the causes.

Despite equipment such as the 'magic eye' improving diagnosis, doctors do not believe the numbers are simply down to them finding more cases.

All the evidence points to the fact that numbers have gone up.

Blackburn Royal Infirmary-based consultant surgeon David Chang said: "We don't quite know why there has been this change."

Experts in East Lancashire have joined the ranks of doctors who have been looking into the reasons for the rise.

They have been called on to take part in a national research group which meets twice yearly.

Mr Chang said: " Our data for East Lancashire goes into a national audit database and we meet to discuss look at the issues. The research group is trying to find out what we should be doing to combat this."

Doctors believe one of the reasons for the rise in cases is related to the increase in numbers of people suffering from reflux, better known as heartburn.

Many cases of heartburn can be completely harmless, but others, where the symptoms have continued for years, need to be checked out. According to the Cancer Research Campaign, risk factors associated with stomach cancer include smoking and drinking, a low income and large families.

There are also links with diet, which suggest that a low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables can make people more susceptible to the cancers.

So can a high salt intake and a high intake of starches and carbohydrates.