Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, a fantastic annual opportunity to raise awareness of bowel cancer and funds to support our work.
Young, old, female or male – it affects us all. This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month we’re shining a light on the varied and many people affected by bowel cancer. But it doesn’t just impact the person diagnosed. It affects families, friends and colleagues, doctors and nurses, scientists and researchers.
That’s millions of people right across the UK. We need more people affected by bowel cancer to come together and take action to create real hope, now and for the future.
Symptoms Of Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is very treatable but the earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. People whose cancer is diagnosed at an early stage have a much higher chance of successful treatment than those whose cancer has become more widespread.
If you have any symptoms, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of people with bowel problems.
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
- A pain or lump in your tummy
Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms. But if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, go to see your GP.