April is bowel cancer awareness month.
Around 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK, with more than 16,800 people sadly dying from the condition each year. Approximately 268,000 people living in the UK have already been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
What is Bowel Cancer?
Bowel cancer is cancer which is found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum. When cancer develops, the cells in your body become unable to divide and grow in a controlled way. Cancer cells can either stay in the bowel or can spread elsewhere to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or through the bloodstream.
Most bowel cancers develop from pre-cancerous growths, known as polyps. Not all polyps are cancerous, but benign ones may be removed to prevent any cancerous growth.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK. It is the second biggest cancer killer wide world.
Symptoms
There are three main symptoms of bowel cancer. These are blood in stools, a change in bowel habit, and abdominal pain.
Symptoms can change, depending on the individual, but most people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer have one of the following symptoms:
- Blood in stools or bleeding from the rectum – blood may be bright red or dark.
- A persistent change in bowel habit that lasts for more than three weeks e.g. diarrhoea or constipation.
- Pain in abdomen or back passage.
- Unexplained tiredness, dizziness, or breathlessness.
- A lower-than-normal level of red blood cells.
- Feeling that you have not emptied your bowel properly.
The cancer can sometimes cause a blockage in the bowel, causing vomiting, stomach pain and bloating.
Diagnosis
Many of the symptoms bowel cancer can also be caused by other conditions, which is why it is important to clarify with a specialist.
There are various tests that can be carried out to diagnose bowel cancer. More than one test can be used to determine the cause of the symptoms or to find out the specific stage of the cancer.
The tests include:
- Digital Rectal Exam – an examination of back passage.
- Faecal Immunochemical Test – tests for blood in your stool.
- Flexible Sigmoidoscopy – looks inside the large bowel.
- Colonoscopy – looks at the inside of the large bowel. Samples of tissue can be taken, and any polyps can be removed.
- Colon Capsule Endoscopy – looks inside the large bowel.
- CT Colonography – a scan to check the large bowel.
- Blood tests.
Treatments
Bowel cancer is treatable and has a higher chance of being cured if diagnosed early. The chance of successfully treating bowel cancer drops as the disease develops further.
The treatment depends on how far the cancer has advanced by the time it is diagnosed. There are different treatments depending on whether the cancer started in the large bowel (colon cancer) or the back passage (rectal cancer).
Treatments for bowel cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
Impact & Getting Support
The impact of bowel cancer can be difficult emotionally not only for the individual with the disease but also for their friends and family. It is important to contact support groups or your doctor when help is required.
Further Information and support on bowel cancer, and for people who are suffering with the disease, can be obtained from:
If you or a family member has any of the above symptoms, please seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Moosa-Duke Solicitors is a specialist firm of clinical negligence lawyers with extensive experience in claims involving cancer misdiagnosis and delay in diagnosis. If you are concerned about the care that you or a family member has received in relation to a bowel cancer diagnosis, please contact our specialist team on 0116 254 7456 for a no-obligation consultation.