Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is cancer in any part of the
colon or rectum. Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer
in the UK. Only lung cancer kills more people. 35,500 people will
be diagnosed with the disease this year, and around half of these
will die. But the good news is - it is one of the most curable
cancers if caught early enough.
Most cancers start with warty-like growths,
known as polyps, on the wall of the gut. Polyps are very common as
we get older - 1 in 10 people over 60 have them, but most polyps do
not turn to cancer. If potentially cancerous polyps can be found at
an early stage, they can be removed painlessly without the need for
an operation.
Symptoms
Not everyone will have symptoms and the
symptoms may vary. The most common symptoms to look out for
are:
- A persistent change in bowel habit especially going more often
or looser for several weeks;
- Bleeding from the bottom without any obvious reason;
- Abdominal pain, especially if severe;
- A lump in your tummy.
- Other symptoms to also be aware of include unexplained anaemia
causing tiredness or weight loss.
Please remember that most of these symptoms
will not be cancer. If you have one or more of these symptoms for
more than four to six weeks you should go and see your GP.
Risk factors
Bowel cancer affects men and women equally.
The majority of people who get bowel cancer are over 50, but 10%
are under the age of 50 – some even in their late teens and early
twenties.
In many cases, bowel cancer occurs without any
obvious cause. However, research suggests genetic and lifestyle
factors could cause bowel cancer.
Genetics
Some people may have the disease in the
family
and it can be put down to genetics. Having a close relative who has
had bowel cancer almost doubles your risk of developing the
disease. You are also more at risk if you have had two or more
older close relatives from the same side of the family with bowel
cancer. A rough rule of thumb is that, the closer the relatives are
to you (brother, sister, mother, father, child) and the younger
they were when diagnosed, the more you need to do something about
it:
Lifestyle
Obesity is associated with a marked increase
in colorectal cancer. It is therefore important to achieve and
maintain a healthy weight.
High alcohol consumption and lack of
physical
exercise put you at risk. If you exercise regularly your chance
of getting bowel cancer is up to 50% lower than if you don't
exercise.
For more information about bowel
cancer, symptoms or risk factors please visit the Beating Bowel Cancer or
Cancer
Research UK charity websites:
Bowel Cancer Screening
Bowel cancer screening aims to detect bowel
cancer at an early stage (in people with no symptoms), when
treatment is more likely to cure the cancer. Bowel cancer screening
can also detect polyps on the inner lining of the bowel.
These are not cancers, but may develop into cancers over time. They
can easily be removed, which reduces the risk of bowel cancer
developing.
Men and women aged between 60 and 69 years
old are sent a stool testing kit (faecal
occult blood test) every 2 years. People aged
70 and over can request a kit. From 2010, people aged 70
to 75 will also be included in the screening programme.
Test kit
Stool testing means a test to look for hidden
(occult) blood in your stool (faeces), which you would not normally
see or be aware of. It is also called faecal occult blood
testing, or FOB, for short.
If you are within the age range of the bowel
cancer screening programme, you are sent a testing
kit through the post every 2 years. The testing kit is a
simple way for you to collect small samples of your bowel motions,
in your own home.
The test kit is then returned by post to a
laboratory where a chemical is added to the sample on the card. If
there is a change in colour after adding the chemical, it indicates
that some blood is present.
You, and your GP, will be notified of the
result, and told if you are required to go for further
investigation. A normal test result doesn't
completely rule out bowel cancer. So, it is important to be
aware of the symptoms
of bowel cancer and see your GP if you are worried. Only
around 2 out of every 100 people tested (2%) are likely to have
blood in the stool sample (an abnormal result). Other
medical conditions or some things in your diet can cause an
abnormal FOB result so this does not necessarily mean you have
cancer. If you have an abnormal result, you will be
offered an appointment with a specialist nurse at a bowel screening
centre close to your home. The nurse will offer
you a more detailed examination of your bowel (a
colonoscopy), to see whether there is a problem that may need
treatment.
For more information about bowel cancer screening please
visit the Cancer
Research UK web site:
Or the
National Bowel Cancer
Screening programme web site: