Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – April 2021

Throughout the month of April, it is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. This is a fantastic annual event set aside to increase awareness of bowel cancer and raise funds towards treating this condition.

Bowel cancer, sometimes called colon or rectal cancer, is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. It is one of the hardest cancers to treat so early signs of the cancer are crucial.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and do not necessarily make you feel ill. However, it’s worth trying simple treatments for a short time to see if they get better. More than 90% of people with bowel cancer have 1 of the following combinations of symptoms:

• A persistent change in bowel habit
• Blood in the poo without other symptoms of piles (haemorrhoids)
• Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by
• Constipation

Please be aware these are the common symptoms but most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer and seek medical advice from your GP for more information.

If you have unfortunately, gone through treatment when seeking medical advice from your doctor, and had a misdiagnosis or significant delay in your treatment, there is a possibility you may have a claim. It is unlikely a delay of a few months would have changed the outcome of your diagnosis, however, if this has spread to other areas of your body or you are at a high stage level of bowel cancer there could be serious outcomes that could be avoidable.

At Williamsons we deal with a large variety of clinical negligence compensation claims including missed/delayed diagnosis of bowel cancer, which can have grave consequences for the patient.

If you feel that you have been the victim of any form of medical negligence by treatment received from the NHS, or any private hospital, GP, or other health professional, please do not hesitate to contact our Clinical Negligence Department.

For more information about Bowel Cancer Awareness Month visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk