This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Bowel Cancer UK’s Clinical Lead, Claire
Coughlan, wants to make sure we all #KnowTheHigh5 bowel cancer symptoms
to look out for.
Over all the years I've been working with people with bowel cancer, I've heard so often that people didn't realise the symptoms they were experiencing could be serious, or that they waited to go to their GP, even though they knew something wasn't right. In fact, recent research we commissioned at Bowel Cancer UK found that nearly four in ten (38%) of people in the UK couldn’t name a single symptom of bowel cancer; that’s really worrying.
Every 30 minutes someone in the UK dies from bowel cancer. It’s the UK’s second biggest cause of cancer deaths; that’s heart-breaking when we know that bowel cancer is treatable and curable when it’s diagnosed early. So we’re on a mission to increase the number of cases diagnosed at the earliest stages – it really will save lives.
Know the symptoms
This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, with our #KnowTheHigh5 campaign we're putting the spotlight firmly on the red flag symptoms to look out for - these 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 won’t have bowel cancer, but if you experience one or more of them, you should contact your doctor straight away. I often hear people say they’re embarrassed to go to their doctor, but I would urge people not to feel that way.
Your doctor will want to see you and may ask you to do a Faecal Immunochemical Test (also know as ‘FIT’), at home. It’s a test that looks for hidden blood in your poo. It’s very easy to do and will help your GP to decide whether they need to refer you for further tests.
Although bowel cancer is more common in people aged over 50, it can affect people of all ages. Every year more than 2,600 people under 50 are diagnosed with the disease in the UK, with the number increasing. Whatever your age, if you’re experiencing symptoms, please contact your GP.
To spread the word, we’re encouraging everyone to take our online symptoms quiz and to share it with family and friends. And five lucky people who take the quiz will win a year’s supply of Andrex® toilet roll.
Information and support
If you want to know more you can visit our website where we you’ll find:
- information about bowel cancer symptoms, screening, diagnosis and treatment
- support for patients and their friends and family, including Facebook groups and our forum
- our Ask the Nurse email service where specialist nurses will answer your questions
Twitter: @bowelcanceruk
Website: https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/