Can I prevent bowel cancer?

“Although bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, it is preventable and treatable,” says Gail Curry, from Bowel Cancer UK. “Making simple changes to your lifestyle will help stack the odds against it, such as taking up more exercise, being a healthy weight, eating more fibre from wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, cutting down on alcohol, and stopping smoking.

“Bowel screening is the best way to get diagnosed early, when treatment is more likely to be successful as it looks for hidden blood in your poo. If you’re aged between 60 and 74 (50 and 74 in Scotland) ensure you complete the free bowel cancer screening test that arrives in the post every two years.

“Watch out for symptoms such as bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo, a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness and a pain or lump in your tummy and report them to your GP.”