Deborah James discusses 'scary' bowel cancer symptoms
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Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK, with around 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. According to the NHS, cancer can sometimes start in the small bowel (small intestine), but small bowel cancer is much rarer than large bowel cancer. When cancerous cells multiply in this region, the first signs often surface when going to the toilet.
According to the health body Cancer Council, the colour of your urine can signal bowel cancer.
The colour changes to look out for are:
- Dark
- Rusty
- Brown.
These changes tend to surface during the night, warns Cancer Council.
According to the health body, augmentin ogni quanto blood in the urine or passing urine frequently are also telltale signs.
It is important to note that urine changes are not the first main signs of bowel cancer.
“The three main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in the stools (faeces), changes in bowel habit – such as more frequent, looser stools – and abdominal (tummy) pain,” explains the NHS.
However, these symptoms are very common and most people with them do not have bowel cancer.
The NHS explains: “For example, blood in the stools is more often caused by haemorrhoids (piles), and a change in bowel habit or abdominal pain is usually the result of something you have eaten.”
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Nonetheless, “see a GP If you have any of the symptoms of bowel cancer for three weeks or more”, advises the NHS.
The GP may decide to:
- Examine your tummy and bottom to make sure you have no lumps
- Arrange for a simple blood test to check for iron deficiency anaemia – this can show whether there’s any bleeding from your bowel that you have not been aware of
- Arrange for you to have a simple test in hospital to make sure there’s no serious cause of your symptoms.
Am I at risk?
The exact cause of bowel cancer is unknown. However, research has shown several factors may make you more likely to develop it.
Your risk of developing bowel (colon and rectal) cancer depends on many things including age, genetics and lifestyle factors.
Having one or more risk factors doesn’t mean that you will definitely get bowel cancer.
Many studies have shown that eating lots of red and processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer.
It is estimated that around 13 out of 100 bowel cancer cases (around 13 percent) in the UK are linked to eating these meats.
Processed meat is any meat that has been treated to preserve it and/or add flavour – for example, bacon, salami, sausages, canned meat, or chicken nuggets.
The government recommends that people eating more than 90g of red and processed meat a day should reduce it to 70g or less.
A linked risk factor is obesity.
“It is estimated that 11 out of 100 bowel cancers (11 percent) in the UK are linked to being overweight or obese,” reports Cancer Research UK.
Obesity means being very overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
BMI is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height.
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