April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and we’re supporting Bowel Cancer UK’s work to raise awareness of the symptoms as it is often treatable and curable with early diagnosis.
Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity and they support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, as well as educating the public and professionals about the disease and campaigning for early diagnosis and access to the best treatment and care.
Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. It’s more common in the over 50s but it can affect people of all ages. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with the disease.
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer but it shouldn’t be. It’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage, however this drops significantly as the disease develops. Early diagnosis really does save lives.
Being aware of the key symptoms and visiting your GP if things don’t feel right can help increase chances of an early diagnosis. The symptoms of bowel cancer 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, or a pain or lump in your tummy.
Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms. If you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, please see your GP.
Find out more at www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/