Detecting bowel cancer early saves lives
Date published:
Symptoms of bowel cancer
The symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and don’t necessarily make you feel ill.
Bowel cancer symptoms can include:
- blood in your poo
- looser poo
- pooing more often and/ or constipation
- losing weight for no obvious reason
- pain or swelling in your tummy
- feeling more tired than usual for no obvious reason
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms for three weeks or longer, contact your GP.
It may turn out to be nothing of concern.
If it's something more serious, detecting it as early as possible can give any treatment you may need the best chance of success.
You can find out more about bowel cancer at this link:
Bowel cancer screening kit
Everyone aged 60 to 74 years is invited for bowel cancer screening.
A home screening test is posted to their address.
The screening kit is a simple test to detect tiny amounts of blood in the bowel motions. This can be an early warning sign for bowel cancer before any other signs or symptoms.
If any blood is found, it does not mean that the person has bowel cancer, but that they need further investigation.
If you get a screening test and are experiencing any symptoms that may be linked to the bowel, contact your GP before completing the test as they can offer you a different test for people with bowel symptoms.
If you get the screening test kit in the post, take action – it could save your life.