April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and Bowel Cancer UK want to highlight the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Their latest survey results show that many people remain unaware of the signs they could have bowel cancer. They show that around half of adults living in the UK (42%) are not aware of any symptoms of bowel cancer, despite it being the UK's second biggest cancer killer.

Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. It’s the second biggest cancer killer.

But it shouldn’t be, as it’s treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage, however this drops significantly as the disease develops.

Being aware of the key symptoms and visiting your GP if things don’t feel right can help increase chances of an early diagnosis, and could save your life. The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:

Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
Unexplained weight loss
Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
A pain or lump in your tummy
Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer.

Other health problems can cause similar symptoms, but if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, see your GP. For more information visit bowelcanceruk.org.uk