Bowel cancer: what it is and where to get tested

[SaskiaHU]

Vic Leeson explains what exactly Bowel Cancer is and where to get tested if you think you could be symptomatic.

This post has been approved by Bowel Cancer UK and updated with the latest screening ages and freephone helpline numbers at the time of publication.

-----------------------------

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel which is made up of the colon and rectum. It is the fourth most common type of cancer diagnosed in the UK with 1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women being diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime. More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50 but bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage. However this drops significantly as the disease develops.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit, bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo, unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness for no obvious reason, a pain or lump in your tummy. Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms but if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, go to see your GP.

We don’t know what causes most bowel cancers, but there are some lifestyle choices that can help lower your risk. These include not smoking and cutting down on alcohol, exercising regularly, being of a healthy body weight, eating plenty of fibre and avoiding processed meat can help stack the odds of a bowel cancer diagnosis.

The screening programme uses home tests that look for hidden blood in poo. Even if you have taken part in screening, you should still report any symptoms to your GP as soon as possible and all age groups need to be aware of symptoms, particularly if there is a family history of the condition as this may increase risk.

-----------------------------

Written by Victoria Leeson

Vic Leeson is a relational counsellor based in Leeds. You can contact her on welldoing.org

-----------------------------

You can find friendly, supportive communities related to bowel cancer on HealthUnlocked. Start connecting with people who truly understand what you're going through today: healthunlocked.com/search/c...

[DodgeDhanda]

Hi Saskia.

Ref: BC . I have a permanent stoma & so don't go toilet in the convential way. Now what I wish to ask is am I still atrisk or is my risk higher to BC as I have a stoma ?

[Bingo88]

Hello SaskiaHU. Just to inform people that don't know Bowl cancer screening is done every 2 years in the uk. For people over 55 I think it is. Where you are sent a sample bottle to send a sample of your poo in to be checked for symptoms. Brian

[Ruby1 in reply to Bingo88]

It is definitely worth taking part in the screening. Someone I know has recently been diagnosed with a tumour - removed last week. No symptoms but was picked up via the screening programme.

[Bingo88 in reply to Ruby1]

Yes I am 66 and recently been checked and alls good for another 2 years. Obviously check for the normal signs. Brian

[Jdonald]

This was very helpful. Thank you.

[Phillbamiz]

Thank you Saskia. It's really helpful