Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (April)

Posted on April 1st, 2018

The bowel is the last portion of your digestive tract. It is often referred to as the large intestine, and is made up of the colon and rectum. This is where waste products from your body (faeces) are stored until they are evacuated.  You are more at risk if you are over 50 years old, however more than 2,500 people under 50 are newly diagnosed with this cancer each year.

Symptoms

• Rectal bleeding
• Change in bowel habits for over 3 weeks
• Severe abdominal pain
• Lump in your stomach
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained fatigue

It is important to note that bowel cancer is treatable and curable, if diagnosed early enough. 90% of people diagnosed with Stage 1 bowel cancer survive for five years or over. 

Statistics 

• There are approximately 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer in the UK each year, that’s equivalent to 112 people each day.
• Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.
• Almost 16,000 people die from this disease every year in the UK, that’s roughly 307 people each week .
• 7% of men and 5% of women will be diagnosed with this type of cancer during their lifetime.

Sources:

https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/about-bowel-cancer/bowel-cancer/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuvKN4P-O2gIVRYmyCh11Sw1fEAAYASAAEgJgvfD_BwE

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/bowel-cancer-awareness-month-2018/

https://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bowel-cancer?ds_kids=p3920907627&adc=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo8iSioKP2gIVw5AYCh0gLQhBEAAYAiAAEgKGSvD_BwE&dclid=CL7C_5OCj9oCFSYy0wodMX4MZw

http://sci.washington.edu/info/pamphlets/bowels_1.asp