Bowel cancer: Dr Philippa Kaye lists the symptoms
Just like with any cancer, early detection could help improve your prognosis and treatment outcomes, making symptoms awareness key.
Dr Nikita Patel, Associate Medical Director and GP at Vitality, said: “Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.
“While many of us shy away from talking about our bowel movements, it’s important to open up the conversation – to look after ourselves and our loved ones.”
In fact, paying attention to your bowel habits and recognising what’s normal for you could mean the difference between spotting any cancerous changes and letting them slip under the radar.
However vague or subtle, the doctor shared the six “common” symptoms of bowel cancer that you should watch out for.
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According to the expert, the red flags can include:
- Unexplained change in bowel habits (such as going to open your bowels more often or becoming more constipated)
- Blood in your stool
- Lump in your tummy
- Unexplained loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Anaemia.
In case you aren’t aware, anaemia describes a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry an adequate amount of oxygen to your body’s tissues.
Leaving you tired and weak, anaemia can be triggered by various causes including deficiencies.
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However, bowel cancers can often bleed into your digestive tract, causing blood to crop up in your stool.
Over time, the blood loss can build up and trigger low red blood cell counts, also known as anaemia.
The NHS also notes that anaemia caused by iron deficiency can indicate whether there’s any bleeding from your bowel that you aren’t aware of, as blood doesn’t always show up in your stool.
The doctor added that if you have one or more of these tell-tale signs, “it’s worth visiting your GP to discuss in more detail”.
While these symptoms could be pointing to bowel cancer, they can also signal other conditions.
Dr Patel added: “Bowel cancer symptoms can sometimes be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as the symptoms can be quite hard to distinguish.
“It’s important to keep track of changes in your bowels and consult your GP if you’re worried about anything.
“Your GP may ask you to keep a diary of your symptoms and request further tests for you before getting to a diagnosis.”
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