11 August 2023
According to Bowel Cancer UK someone dies from bowel cancer every 30 minutes.
Nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
What is Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer means cancer that starts in the large bowel (colon) and the back passage (rectum). It is also known as colorectal cancer.
How to Detect Bowel Cancer
Screening can detect bowel cancer at an early stage even in people with no symptoms. 9 out of 10 people diagnosed early with stage 1 bowel cancer survive 5 years or more after diagnosis however this can drop significantly as the disease develops. There is only a small chance that bowel cancer will come back after 5 years.
Bowel cancer can affect any age although more than 9 out of 10 cases are people over the age of 50 years and nearly 6 out of 10 cases are people over 70 years.
Nearly four in ten people in the UK cannot name a single symptom of bowel cancer.
Williamsons Solicitors would like to spread awareness of the symptoms. Some common symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Bleeding from the bottom and blood in poo
- Persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- Sudden and unexplained weight loss
- Being easily fatigued with no obvious reason or cause
- Pain or a lump in the tummy
Williamsons Solicitors would also like to highlight recent local case of a young lady wanting to raise awareness of the importance of an early diagnosis.
The lady recently posted a powerful message on social media after being told her cancer was colitis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It was only when she was screaming in pain – unable to walk and talk that she was finally diagnosed. For more information regarding this article please follow the link below: –
Ultimately, we all need to be well-educated about bowel cancer to help those suffering, to improve their quality of everyday life and help this disease to be detected as early as possible.
If you, or if you know of someone with any of the above symptoms, PLEASE, get checked out to be on the safe side! It could be nothing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Always listen to your gut instinct, if you feel that something is not right, get it checked out!
For more information about Bowel Cancer Awareness Month visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk.
Our Clinical Negligence Team have the skills, knowledge and staff to deal with delayed diagnosis situations, and our Clinical Negligence Team are happy to discuss, in confidence, a possible clinical negligence matter. If you feel you or someone you know has been affected by bowel cancer and you feel there has been a delay in a diagnosis of bowel cancer and would like to speak to one of our experienced Clinical Negligence Team, please contact Williamsons on 01482 323697.
