Symptoms of Bowel Cancer and Getting A Diagnosis

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer, also referred to as colorectal cancer, affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. The cells in your body normally divide and grow in a controlled way, but when cancer develops, the cells change and can grow in an uncontrolled way.

Unfortunately, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer that affects the UK population.

Sadly, every 15 minutes somebody is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK, which is roughly 43,000 people each year. Bowel cancer develops from polyps (a tiny bump of cells inside the bowel). Most polyps remain benign, but about 1 in 10 will turn into cancer.

Encouragingly, bowel cancer survival is improving and has more than doubled in the last 40 years in the UK. While these statistics are good progress, you should make sure that you are aware of symptoms and your risk level to stay vigilant.

Diagnosing bowel cancer

If bowel cancer is caught in the early stages, there is a greater than 90% chance of a cure. This is why it is crucial to know the common symptoms. The three main symptoms are:

• Bleeding from the bowel
• Change in bowel habit (such as unusual episodes of diarrhea or constipation)
• Abdominal pain or weight loss

It is important to note that other health problems can also cause these symptoms, so if you are worried, it’s always best to speak to your doctor as soon as possible.

If you go to your GP with your concerns, they may decide to examine you for lumps, arrange for a blood test, or arrange for you to have a simple test in hospital.

Causes of bowel cancer

There are many reasons why a person can develop bowel cancer. Some factors such as family history and age are unfortunately out of your control and if you have a close relative (mother or father, brother or sister) who developed bowel cancer under the age of 50, this can put you at a greater risk of developing the condition. Screening is offered to people in this situation, and you should discuss this with a GP to understand what to do next.

There are, however, certain lifestyle habits that can increase your risk of developing bowel cancer. A diet that is high in red or processed meats, and foods low in fibre can be one reason, as well as being inactive, drinking alcohol or being overweight. Leading a healthy lifestyle is always encouraged, and making small changes to your habits can really help you to stay well.

Screening home test kits

If you are in Wales, aged 55 -74 and registered with a GP, you will be automatically sent a bowel cancer screening home test kit every 2 years. In England the same applies, but from aged 60. If you are over 75 years old, you can call the free cancer bowel screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60 to request a kit.

For the screening test, you use a home test kit to collect a small sample and send it to a lab. With this sample, they can check for tiny amounts of blood. If there is any blood found, it could also be polyps, which are growths in the bowel that may eventually turn into cancer.

What treatment is available?

Bowel cancer can be treated using several different treatments. The treatment you receive will depend on where the cancer is and how far it has spread but you could be treated using surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted therapies.

Getting an early diagnosis is very important, as the chance of complete cure will depend on how far the cancer has spread.

If you’re diagnosed with bowel cancer, you’ll be cared for by a multidisciplinary team which will include:

• a specialist cancer surgeon
• a radiotherapy and chemotherapy specialist (an oncologist)
• a radiologist
• a specialist nurse

This team can be there to offer guidance and support and to help you decide what treatment is best for you.

How We Can Help

Bowel cancer can impact your daily life in many different ways. If your bowel cancer has been misdiagnosed or diagnosed late, it can make what is already a worrying time much worse.

At Harding Evans, we have significant experience in representing clients with clinical negligence claims. If you or one of your relatives has had bowel cancer that was misdiagnosed and would like to speak to one of our legal experts, please contact a member of our team today.