Are you at risk of bowel cancer because of your genes?
It's Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and more pressure is being put on the fact that you're never too young to develop it.
A new report from Bowel Cancer UK has revealed a shocking picture of delayed diagnosis, failures in screening, feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as unmet support needs amongst younger bowel cancer patients.
In the first research into the experiences of younger bowel cancer patients, the ‘Never too Young’ report alarmingly reveals that almost half of women, compared with ten per cent of men either saw their GP more than five times before being referred to a specialist, or were diagnosed as an emergency before being referred. In some cases, disturbingly, twice as many women as men had to wait over a year before being diagnosed.
Penny, a bowel cancer patient said: “I got sent away and told to come back in a few months if my symptoms were still occurring. This is at a point where I had already been bleeding and going to the toilet frequently for nearly four months. The response was I was too young for it to be anything serious.”
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. Despite this, over half of patients were not aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer prior to being diagnosed, and were not aware of bowel cancer as a disease younger people could develop. A quarter of people waited over six months to see their doctor as they didn't realise the significance of their symptoms or felt reluctant to discuss them. More must be done to encourage younger people to go sooner. The earlier the diagnosis, the more treatable bowel cancer is.
Some younger people are at higher risk of bowel cancer because of a strong family history, a genetic condition such as Lynch syndrome or because they have an inflammatory bowel condition such as Crohn's disease. However many of these people are not receiving the screening they need to detect changes that could lead to bowel cancer.
Deborah Alsina, CEO of Bowel Cancer UK, commented, “It is simply unacceptable that younger bowel cancer patients are experiencing delays in diagnosis because they are considered too young when clearly the statistics prove, whilst rare, it can and does happen. We must ensure that bowel cancer is ruled out much earlier in the diagnostic process. We must also ensure that those at greatest risk, for example, people with a genetic condition, receive the screening they need to detect any changes early.
We are in touch with many younger patients and their families, who tell us stories of terrible heartbreak and worry caused by late diagnosis. We must take action and change this, as after all, bowel cancer is treatable but early diagnosis is key.”
Never too Young also highlights gaps in support for younger bowel cancer patients. Only one in four women and just fewer than one in two men were happy with the levels of support they received.
Isolation and loneliness is felt by many younger bowel cancer patients. Although peer support was identified as a major factor that could have improved treatment, more than half of patients felt that they had no-one their age with bowel cancer to talk to.
Clare, a bowel cancer patient said: “It’s a very lonely illness, especially when you feel that you’re the only young person with the condition.”
Information and advice was also an issue with younger patients, 40% felt that most of the information wasn’t relevant to them as it was targeted to older people.
Joel, a bowel cancer patient said: “I didn't become aware of the support available through charities like Bowel Cancer UK until well after my treatment. At no point did a doctor or nurse suggest I contact one of these charities for support or information. I had to find the information myself.”
Bowel Cancer UK has set out a number of key recommendations that we believe will transform the experiences of younger bowel cancer patients.
Tagged in Health bowel cancer