Vital symptoms to watch out for that could save your life

DAME Deborah’s incredible work helped to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer. Here, we share a cutout-and-keep guide to help you understand the signs to watch out for and the screening services available to you.

THE SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR

THE following could indicate bowel cancer, so always get any changes checked out — especially if they are persistent and unexplained.

■ BLEEDING from your bottom and/or blood in your stools;

■ ANY changes to usual bowel habits, including looser or harder stools, needing to have a bowel movement more often than usual, constipation or the feeling you’re not fully emptying your bowels;

■ EXTREME tiredness for no obvious reason;

■ ABDOMINAL pain, typically in the lower or central stomach;

■ TENESMUS — the feeling that you need to pass stools, even though your bowels are already empty;

■ UNEXPLAINED weight loss. It can help to keep track of your symptoms, so Bowel Cancer UK have developed a symptoms diary, endorsed by the Royal College of GPs, available at bowelcanceruk.org. uk/symptoms-diary

THE EXPERT SAYS

‘LOOK at the toilet paper or look in the bowl for signs of blood,’ says Professor Gordon Carlson, a leading consultant gastric surgeon who is based at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. ‘If there is blood when you wipe yourself, don’t assume it’s haemorrhoids. You must get it checked out.

‘The key thing is if your bowel habit becomes different from your normal habit. So if stools are normally loose and suddenly you’re constipated, or vice versa, then see your doctor. The important issue is noticing a change that is not usual for you.’

TAKE UP INVITATION FOR BOWEL SCREENING

THE NHS bowel cancer screening programme is available to everyone aged 60 to 74, and is being made available to everyone aged 50 to 59 over the next four years.

Those who are eligible are sent a bowel cancer testing kit every two years — so ensure your correct address is registered with your GP. The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is non-invasive and you perform it in your own home. It aims to identify blood not visible to the naked eye, rather than diagnosing cancer itself.

To complete the test, collect a small sample of poo on the provided plastic stick, put it into the sample bottle and post it back to a lab for testing.

If the test finds anything unusual, you’ll be referred for further tests. Too young for the screening programme but have concerns? See your GP.

HOME TEST KITS

DIY testing kits for bowel cancer are now available over the counter. But Dr Lisa Wilde of Bowel Cancer UK says: ‘We cannot recommend private screening kits because they can vary in quality and so the results can be misleading. If you are worried you have symptoms of bowel cancer, or if things just don’t feel right, contact your doctor.’

COULD YOU BE AT RISK?

ALTHOUGH experts remain unsure what causes most bowel cancers, there are some factors that could increase your risk of getting the disease. If you have any of the following risk factors, then you should be especially vigilant.

Needless to say, you should visit your GP with any worries regardless of your age or medical history.

■ A FAMILY history of bowel cancer in a first- degree relative — a parent or sibling — under the age of 50 can increase your lifetime risk;

■ AGE: more than nine out of ten cases of bowel cancer develop in adults over the age of 50, while 70 per cent of patients are over 70;

■ A HISTORY of developing non- cancerous growths (polyps) in your bowel;

■ LONG-STANDING inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis; TYPE 2 diabetes;

■ WEIGHT: Around 11 per cent of bowel cancers in the UK are linked to being overweight or obese;

■ POOR diet, such as too much red meat (limit to 500g or less — cooked weight — a week, and avoid processed meat);

■ LACK of fibre — eat at least 30g per day. Good sources include fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses including lentils and chickpeas.