Nine out of ten people survive bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage.
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, when the NHS works alongside Bowel Cancer UK to raise awareness of the fourth most common cancer in the UK. Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with the disease, that’s nearly 43,000 people each year.
Bowel cancer is also the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, however, it shouldn’t be because it’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage, but this drops significantly as the disease develops, so this awareness month, the #OneThing you need to know is the earlier the disease is spotted, the more treatable it’s likely to be. More than 9 in 10 people survive bowel cancer when it is diagnosed at the earliest stage.
Another positive to bear in mind is that most people with symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. But if you are experiencing one or more symptoms from the list below, or if things just don’t feel right, book in to see your GP:
- bleeding from your bottom 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
Learn more about the possible symptoms of the disease, how it is treated and how you can help spread awareness this April here.