Bowel cancer symptoms

The good news is that bowel cancer can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases, if it is diagnosed at an early stage, before it has had a chance to grow and spread.

The early symptoms for bowel cancer are very similar to other, much less serious problems with the bowel.  It is very important to be aware of what is normal for you, so you can recognise any unusual changes and act quickly to get them investigated.

Louisa our nurse talks about bowel cancer symptoms.

Your GP will want to see you if you have been experiencing any of these symptoms for 3 weeks or more:

• Bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding) without any obvious reason. You may also notice other symptoms such as straining, soreness, lumps and itchiness around the back passage. These can often be caused by piles (haemorrhoids), but this is also a “red flag” symptom for urgent investigation, so it is very important to see your GP, who can take a full  history and do an initial examination.
• A persistent change in bowel habit meaning any unexpected or unexplained change to your normal habits of going to the toilet and emptying your bowels. It can sometimes be problems with constipation, and feeling that your bowel is not completely empty. It is especially important if you are going to the toilet more often or experiencing looser stools and/or passing lots of clear, "jelly-like" mucus.
• Abdominal pain that is constant or which comes and goes. You should seek help immediately if it becomes severe.
• A lump in your tummy especially on the right hand side.
• Unexplained tiredness, dizziness & breathlessness (signs of anaemia).
• Unexpected and unexplained weight loss.

Please remember that most of these symptoms will not be bowel cancer, but to rule it out you must first visit your GP. Your doctor will take a full history and examine you, and can answer your questions to reassure you. If you need to have more investigations to find out what is causing your symptoms, your doctor will make those referrals for you. Often, once you know what the problem is, you are able to stop worrying about it, and find effective ways to deal with it.

If you are worried about having bowel cancer symptoms, download our 'Don't sit on your symptoms' leaflet and make an appointment with your GP. It might be helpful to take the leaflet to your appointment with you.

Still worried?

Contact our nurses on 08450 719 301 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 – 18:00, Friday 9:00 – 16:00) or email them. Our nurses are also available via our Facebook page where you can also chat to other bowel cancer patients and their friends and relatives and there is more help and support on our forum.

Watch The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line raises awareness of bowel cancer symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis.