Examine Yourself: The warning signs and how to reduce risk of bowel cancer

Did you know?

Bowel cancer mainly affects people over the age of 50.

If someone in your immediate family has had bowel cancer, your risk is also higher.

What is the bowel?

The bowel is part of your digestive system. It is made up of two parts, the small bowel and the large bowel.

The large bowel can be further divided into the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, sigmoid colon, rectum and anus.

When you swallow food, it goes from the gullet (oesophagus) to the stomach and into the small bowel.

Going through the small bowel, it is digested and nutrients are taken into the body. In the large bowel, water is absorbed from digested food.

The waste matter that is left is stored in the rectum (back passage) until ready to pass out of the body through the anus. This waste material is known as faeces or stools.

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer happens when cells in the bowel change and start to grow quickly.

They can form a tumour. A malignant tumour is also known as cancer. If a malignant tumour is not treated, it will affect how the bowel works. Most bowel cancers occur in the large bowel. Bowel cancer is also known as colorectal cancer or cancer of the colon and rectum.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

• • A lasting change in your bowel habit – going more often, diarrhoea or constipation
• Blood in your poo or bleeding from your back passage (bottom)
• Pain or discomfort in your tummy area or back passage
• Trapped wind or fullness in your tummy
• A lump in your tummy area or rectum (back passage)
• Feeling you have not emptied your bowel fully after using the toilet
• Unexplained weight loss
• Feeling tired or breathless

Reduce your bowel cancer risk

Have a healthy diet

Avoid processed meat and limit red meat. Eat fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses. Limit foods high in sugar, salt and fat.

Be active in everyday life

Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day

Be a healthy weight

As the amount of fat in the body increases, so does your chance of cancer

Avoid alcohol

Cutting back or avoiding alcohol will reduce your cancer risk

Don’t smoke

Cut out the cigarettes and cut your cancer risk

Get screened

Testing for bowel cancer when you have no symptoms is called screening.

The national bowel screening programme, BowelScreen, sends a free test kit to people aged 60–69 every two years.

You send back a sample of your faeces (poo). The sample is tested for traces of blood.

If there is blood in your faeces it doesn’t mean that you have cancer, but you may be advised to have more tests.

For more information see www.bowelscreen.ie