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April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month which makes it a perfect time to improve people’s knowledge of this all too prolific cancer.
Bowel Cancer is now the most common cancer in non smokers. There are 36,000 diagnoses and more than 16,000 deaths each year. It affects 1 in 10 families and there is a 1 in 18 chance of getting the disease with half dying from it. Bowel Cancer causes more deaths each year than breast and cervical cancer combined.
These are shocking facts made all the more terrible by the fact that bowel cancer is the most preventable and curable cancer if caught early enough.
Lynn Faulds Wood, the former Watchdog presenter, who beat advanced bowel cancer herself, has campaigned strenuously over the last 12 years to raise awareness of this cruel disease and to save lives. In 2002 the voluntary charity Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign was launched to help raise awareness of the disease and to highlight the symptoms to prevent more people dying.
This April, Lynn and her team are re-launching a number of initiatives to encourage early diagnosis of this disease. The theme is spots. In the same way that ‘pink’ works for Breast Cancer Awareness Lynn hopes ‘spots’ will be synonymous with bowel cancer.
Lynn explains: "We've chosen spots because we want people to know how to spot the symptoms, spot if it is in their family, and spot if screening has started in their area. By going ‘Spotty’ we hope to help break any taboos surrounding this common, and cruel cancer. We can't afford to be squeamish and shy anymore in talking about bottoms and bowels. We hope people will join in the fun with a serious purpose and hold ‘Spotty’ themed days all over the country."
The symptoms of bowel cancer to watch out for:
- Change of Bowel Habit - a recent persistent change which lasts for a few weeks without returning to normal
- Going to the loo, or trying to go, several more times than is normal for you
- Looser, more diarrhoea-like motions. This is especially important if accompanied by bleeding from the bottom
- Rectal Bleeding - which persists without an obvious reason, like straining, sore bottom, lumps and itching.
- Unexplained Anaemia - men with iron deficient anaemia should be investigated for bowel cancer. Women after the menopause should also be investigated
- Lumps in the tummy which can be felt by the doctor
- Severe colicky tummy pain which comes on suddenly and persists
Most of us have bowel problems at some time in our lives and most symptoms do not turn out to be cancer. Conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome and piles are common. One in 20 of us have had bleeding from the bottom especially younger people but most people do not have cancer. However if you are worried and have any of these symptoms go and see your GP.