Bowel Cancer

Symptoms

Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:

• changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you've just been to the toilet
• tummy pain
• a lump in your tummy
• bloating
• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired for no reason

Bowel cancer can cause anaemia (when you have fewer red blood cells than usual), which can make you feel very tired, short of breath and have headaches.

Causes

It's not always known what causes bowel cancer, but it can be caused by genetic changes, lifestyle, and environmental factors.

Risk Factors

Having certain health conditions can also make you more likely to get bowel cancer.

You may be more likely to get bowel cancer if:

• you're over 50
• you smoke
• you're overweight
• a close relative has had bowel cancer
• you have inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• you have small growths in your bowel called bowel polyps

• you have Lynch Syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis
  

Treatment Options

The treatment you'll have for bowel cancer depends on:

• the size of the cancer
• if the cancer is in your colon or rectum, or both
• if it has spread to other parts of your body
• if the cancer has certain genetic changes
• your age and general health

You may be offered a combination of treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted medicines.

Your specialist treatment team will:

• explain the treatments, the benefits and side effects
• work with you to make a treatment plan that's best for you
• help you to manage the side effects of treatment

If you have any questions or worries, you can talk to your specialist team.

Surgery

Surgery may be carried out to remove cancer from the bowel. Part or all of the bowel around the cancer may also need to be removed.

To help your recovery, you may need a colostomy or ileostomy, which may be temporary or permanent.

You’ll be supported through surgery and recovery by your specialist treatment team.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is medicine that kills cancer cells.

You may have chemotherapy for bowel cancer:

• after surgery to try to stop the cancer coming back
• if you're unable to have surgery
• if cancer has spread to other parts of your body

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses radiation to kill cancer cells. A machine is used to target beams of radiation directly at tumours.

You may have radiotherapy for bowel cancer if:

• you have cancer in your rectum
• the cancer has spread to other parts of your body

Targeted medicines and immunotherapy

Targeted medicines kill cancer cells.

Immunotherapy is where medicines are used to help your immune system kill cancer.

Targeted medicines or immunotherapy are sometimes used to treat advanced bowel cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

Prevention Tips

You cannot always prevent bowel cancer, but there are things you can do to lower your chance of getting it. Do:

• eat a healthy diet including at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
• stay active and exercise regularly
• lose weight if you're overweight
• quit smoking
• drink less alcohol

• eat less red and processed meat