Symptoms of bowel cancer
Bowel cancer is considered a silent disease. This is because often there are no obvious symptoms in the early stages, meaning it can go undetected. However, despite their subtlety there are some warning signs to look out for.
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What are the signs of bowel cancer?
According to the NHS in the UK, bowel cancer can cause abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating.
Bowel cancer has 3 main symptoms to look out for:
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A change in your bowel habits
You may find yourself using the toilet more often and your poo may have become looser and runnier too. Or you may be experiencing constipation.
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Persistent blood in your poo
When you go to the toilet, you may see blood in your poo, or have bleeding from your bottom.
Check if you’re experiencing any other discomfort when this happens, as this can also be a sign of piles (haemorrhoids).
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Persistent abdominal pain
You may experience discomfort or bloating when you’re eating. This pain can result in people reducing how much they eat and losing weight.
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Other warning signs to watch out for
Other symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Fatigue and breathlessness
- A pain or lump in your tummy or back passage
- Needing to strain, even after emptying your bowels
Often people who have these symptoms do not have bowel cancer. If you suffer from any of these symptoms for more than 3 weeks, you should book an appointment with your GP.
Bowel obstruction
Bowel obstruction is when cancer creates a blockage in the bowel, which can stop waste (poo) being passed through the bowel. It comes with its own set of symptoms, which are:
- Intermittent and strong cramping pain in your tummy
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Feeling bloated
- Being and feeling sick
- Constipation
Bowel obstructions are medical emergencies. If you think you’re experiencing a bowel obstruction you should go to your nearest A&E department.
Find out what your risk of cancer is
There are many factors to take into consideration when it comes to your risk of bowel cancer. Score yourself on each and find out your risk of developing bowel cancer.
> Check your risk with our Cancer Health Check
Risk factors for bowel cancer
Although we don’t know what the exact causes of bowel cancer are, there are some factors that can put you at a higher risk of developing this common cancer.
Understanding what these risk factors are, and what you can do, can help you protect yourself against bowel cancer.
> Find out more about bowel cancer causes and risk factors
Helping to prevent your risk of bowel cancer
Bowel cancer is considered one of the most preventable cancers.
This is because the development of bowel cancer is heavily influenced by how you live. What you eat and how active you are can make a big difference in your chances of developing bowel cancer.
Help for you
Our free health guides and cookbooks are written by experts to help more people prevent and survive cancer. Order yours today!
