Bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel. Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colorectal cancer.

Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK.

The early signs of bowel cancer are often hidden so it’s important to return your bowel screening test and to look out for these signs or changes in your bowel movements.

Contact your GP practice as soon as possible, even between bowel screening tests, if you notice any of the following symptoms, especially if they last for 4 or more weeks:

• Repeated bleeding from your bottom.
• Blood mixed in with your poo.
• A recent change in your poo, particularly looser poo or pooing more regularly.
• New pain in your abdomen (tummy) that won’t go away.
• You’ve recently lost weight without trying.
• More pale and tired than usual.

If it is cancer, finding it early gives you more treatment options, and a better chance of treatment being successful and of living well after cancer.

As well as looking out for the signs and symptoms above, it’s important to keep an eye out for your home bowel cancer screening test coming through your letterbox. Everyone between the ages of 50 and 74 will receive a bowel screening test through the post every two years.

Bowel screening could save your life.

If you have symptoms, your GP practice wants to know. If it isn’t serious, the doctor or nurse can put your mind at ease. And if it is, finding out earlier means it’s more likely that treatments will be successful.

Many people put off getting symptoms checked as they’re worried they’ll be wasting the doctor’s or nurse’s time – or they might feel embarrassed. Remember, they see hundreds of patients every year and are here to help.

If you’d feel more comfortable with a female or male nurse or doctor, be sure to mention this when you contact your GP practice.

They might:

• Ask about your medical history to try and understand what may be causing the symptoms. They may also ask about your last bowel screening result.
• Ask about whether you have a family history of bowel cancer.
• Examine your tummy (abdomen) and your bottom with their hands. This helps them to find if there are any lumps.
• Take blood tests and arrange an “at home” bowel test called a qFIT test to check for blood in your poo, similar to the bowel screening test.
• Refer you to a local hospital for more tests.