Never too young for bowel cancer
During Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, the charity is working to make sure more lives are saved and quality of life improved for those affected by bowel cancer.
What is bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer is also called colorectal cancer and affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum.
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.
Bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age and more than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed each year in people under the age of 50. However, the vast majority of cases are diagnosed in people over 50.
It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer. Around 1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Bowel cancer is treatable and curable and nearly everyone survives bowel cancer, if diagnosed at the earliest stage.
What are the symptoms?
If you have any symptoms, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors see lots of people with bowel problems. Symptoms can include:
- Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
- A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- 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, but if something doesn’t feel right then it’s always best to see your GP.
Where can I find out more?
The Bowel Cancer UK website has up-to-date, reliable information about bowel cancer including symptoms, risk factors, screening, diagnosis, treatment and living with and beyond bowel cancer.
You can also call them on 020 7940 1760.
