Help beat bowel cancer – catch it early

3rd April 2019

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month and health experts are asking everyone to help the NHS increase the number of people who beat it.

Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK but it is both treatable and curable so this shouldn’t be the case.

In fact almost everyone who has their bowel cancer diagnosed at an early stage survives it so it’s vitally important that it’s detected as quickly as possible.

It mainly affects people over 50 but it can actually occur in anyone of any age so don’t ignore any warning signs.

Symptoms vary but if you spot one or more of the following then see your GP quickly
• A change in bowel habit for a few weeks or more
• Looser, softer or more frequent pooing
• Blood in your poo
• A pain or lump in your tum or bottom, or a straining feeling in your bottom
• Unexplained weight loss or extreme tiredness.

Most of the time these symptoms will have another less worrying explanation, but if it is cancer the quicker you get it treated, the sooner you can get on with your life.

Making use of your free NHS bowel cancer screening kit, sent to everyone over 60 every two years, is one great way of picking cancer up early. The test can spot cancers you can’t see or feel, so don’t just ignore it – use it and send it back.

But even if you are screened, everyone can help themselves by looking out for symptoms that could be a sign that things aren’t right.

For more information go online at www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk.org or speak to your practice nurse or GP.