Doctors have revealed one major sign to look out for that could be an early symptom of bowel cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 44,100 new bowel cancer cases in the UK every year - a figure which works out at around 120 every day (2017-2019).
Between 2017 to 2019, there were 16,808 deaths from bowel cancer alone - a disease which is the 4th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11% of all new cancer cases.
Now, it's important to be aware of the symptoms of the disease - which is often dubbed a 'silent killer' because it may not cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages - given that 54% cases of bowel cancer, which is also called colorectal cancer, are preventable.
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Symptoms of bowel cancer
One of the number one signs to be wary of includes having blood in your poo or finding it on toilet paper after wiping when doing a number two.
However, it's not just blood in your stool as there are several other symptoms listed by Cancer Research UK which include:
- a change in your normal bowel habit, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation
- a lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or tummy (abdomen)
- a feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to poo), even after opening your bowels
- losing weight when you haven’t been trying to
- pain in your abdomen or back passage
- tiredness and breathlessness caused by a lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)
Other symptoms
Additionally, it's important to know that cancer can sometimes block the bowel - something known as a bowel obstruction with these symptoms including as follows:
- cramping pains in the abdomen
- feeling bloated
- constipation and being unable to pass wind
- being sick
Could blood in your poo mean anything else?
100%.
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Now, while finding blood in your poo could be a sign of bowel cancer, it is often due to other causes.
According to Cancer Research UK, most often, blood in the poo is from piles (haemorrhoids), especially if it is bright red, fresh blood.
Piles are swollen blood vessels in the back passage.
These blood vessels are fragile and can easily get damaged when you have a poo, causing a little bleed.
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"Blood from higher up in the bowel doesn't look bright red," the experts explain. "It goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel. Or it could be from a bleeding stomach ulcer for example."
Regardless, it's important that you see your GP if you are worried about any symptoms that you think could be caused by cancer in the bowel.
Find out more about bowel cancer on the official NHS website here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Advice, Bowel cancer, Cancer, Health, Life, Explained
Rhiannon Ingle