The importance of bowel cancer awareness

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is a very common cancer that occurs in the colon or rectum. Bowel cancer is most common in patients over the age of 50 years old, but it can affect people of all ages. In this article, an expert consultant colorectal surgeon shares how spreading awareness about bowel cancer can save lives.

Understanding how bowel cancer manifests and its signs can hasten diagnosis in its early stages. Because of how bowel cancer progresses, it can remain undetected for quite some time, and treatment in its later stages is more challenging and more taxing on the patient, lowering the chances for a positive prognosis.

What are the signs of bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer symptoms can look like:

• Blood in stool (appearing as red or dark brown/black stool, or blood in the water when passing)
• Bleeding from the rectum
• A dramatic change in bowel habits, i.e. going to the bathroom more or less often, or sudden and reoccurring diarrhoea or constipation
• Unexplained weight loss
• Constant fatigue
• Abdominal pain or lump

These symptoms aren’t always indicative of bowel cancer, and can be caused by different illnesses. However, because of this, patients who do have bowel cancer may think that they are experiencing a different condition instead – for example, blood in the stool could be attributed to haemorrhoids, and abdominal pain may be written off as indigestion. Thus, it is recommended that patients who have any of these symptoms or notice any concerning changes should visit their doctor for a check-up and testing.

How is bowel cancer tested for?

One of the main components of bowel cancer awareness is an emphasis on screening tests. Screening tests can take the form of:

• stool tests, where a sample of bloody stool is taken and examined for cancerous cells.
• colonoscopies, where a flexible tube with a camera at the end is inserted into the rectum so that the inside of the colon can be examined. Tissues samples (biopsies) can be extracted during this procedure for further testing.
•  rectosigmoidoscopies, which also involve a tube with a camera inserted into the anus to examine the rectum and the sigmoid colon (bottom of the large intestine) are examined.

Some screening tests can be done at home and are mainly offered to patients from the age of 50 to be done every two years, but patients outside of that age range who have concerns or a family history of bowel cancer and IBD can arrange with their GP to have a stool kit sent out to them. Screenings can reveal not only the presence of bowel cancer, but precancerous growths and polyps, making them a vital tool in early diagnosis and prevention.

How else is bowel cancer awareness raised?

Another aspect of bowel cancer awareness is education about risk factors and lifestyle choices. When people understand what can make them more at risk for bowel cancer, they can be more alert to signs and changes, as well as be more considerate of their health. Aside from unchangeable factors like genetics and age, healthy lifestyle choices like diet (ideally one with plenty of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains), weight maintenance, physical activity, and lowering alcohol and tobacco consumption can reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer.

If you are having bowel issues and are concerned about bowel cancer, consult with a specialist via Top Doctors today.