Bowel Cancer Awareness

Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer and it’s Scotland’s second biggest cancer killer but it shouldn’t be.  It’s treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early.  Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage however this drops significantly as the disease develops.  Early diagnosis really does save lives.  Being aware of the key symptoms and visiting your GP if things don’t feel right can help increase chances of an early diagnosis.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:

• Bleeding from your bottom and/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

Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer.  Other health problems can cause similar symptoms.  If you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, see your GP.  For more information visit  https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk