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Finding bowel cancer early

Bowel cancer (also known as colorectal cancer) can often be found at an early stage when treatment is more likely to cure the disease.

Screening for bowel cancer

Bowel cancer screening involves testing people without any obvious symptoms of bowel cancer. Screening with a faecal occult blood test (FOBT) is recommended for healthy people aged over 50.

More about FOBTs and where to get one

Who is at risk?

Bowel cancer can occur at any age, but the risk is greater if you are over the age of 50.

Your risk of bowel cancer also increases if you:

have a strong family history of bowel cancer
have had extensive inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) for more than eight years
smoke
have a poor diet and don't exercise
have a waistline over 85cm (women) or 100cm (men)
have a rare inherited genetic disorder, such as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or familial adenomatous polyposis.

If these factors apply to you, talk to your doctor about your risk of bowel cancer.

Reduce your risk of bowel cancer

You can help to reduce your risk of bowel cancer by:

eating a healthy diet, including plenty of vegetables and fruit and only small amounts of animal fat
maintaining a healthy body weight
exercising regularly
limiting alcohol
not smoking
screening regularly.

If you follow this advice, it doesn't mean you will never get bowel cancer, but it can reduce your risk and has other health benefits too.

Symptoms of bowel cancer

Not all bowel cancers show symptoms but you should see your doctor if you notice any of the following:

bleeding from your back passage or any sign of blood in a bowel motion
an unexplained and persistent change in bowel actions: for example, looser or more frequent bowel motions or becoming severely constipated
the feeling that your bowel does not empty completely
unexplained tiredness
lower abdominal pain or a persistent feeling of fullness.

Usually there is a simple explanation for these symptoms, but if you do have bowel cancer, it is best to find it early.