Bowel cancer is the second most prevalent cancer amongst men and women with over 42,000 people diagnosed every year in the UK. More than nine out of ten new cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and nearly six out of ten cases are diagnosed in people aged 70 or over.
Let’s talk bowel cancer screening
As more people live longer in Lincolnshire, during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, this April, the NHS is urging older patients not to put their health at risk by opting out of bowel cancer screening. One in 14 men and one in 19 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime.
Someone dies from bowel cancer in the UK every thirty minutes, which seems unthinkable, especially when bowel cancer is treatable when diagnosed at an early stage. So we urge people to accept their invitation to the screening process when it arrives. It could save their lives.
If treated early there is a very good chance of recovery. That’s why accepting the invitation to take part in screening is so vital.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of bowel cancer can be:
- bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
- a change in bowel habit for three weeks or more especially to looser or runny poo
- unexplained weight loss
- extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
- a pain or lump in your tummy.
Patients might experience one, some, all of the above or no symptoms at all. Most symptoms will not be bowel cancer. However, people who are worried about any symptoms that might be caused by bowel cancer, should make an appointment with their GP.
Patients aged 50 to 74 will automatically be sent an invitation and a screening kit to do the test at home. The testing kit is a very simple way for to collect small samples on a special card in your own home. There are clear instructions sent with the kit. You then send the card in a hygienically sealed, prepaid envelope to a laboratory for testing. You will be sent the results of your test by post within two weeks.
Just remember you’ll not be wasting anyone’s time by getting checked out. If it isn’t serious, you’ll put your mind at rest. If it’s bowel cancer, early detection can make all the difference. Over 90% who are diagnosed at the earliest stage are successfully treated. So a trip to your doctor could save your life.
Find out more at Bowel cancer screening – NHS.