Bowel cancer: Dr Philippa Kaye lists the symptoms
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Due to the location of bowel cancer, many symptoms strike when you go to the loo for a number two. While the nature of these symptoms may make many people feel squeamish, the condition needs to be acted on as soon as possible. Fortunately, an expert has shared the key signs that could break the news of the diagnosis.
Having a poo usually makes people feel awkward, prompting them to get quickly in and out of the toilet.
However, paying attention to your bowel habits could mean the difference between identifying bowel cancer and letting it slide.
From blood in your poo to how often you need to go, the majority of bowel cancer symptoms crops up on the loo.
What’s more, early detection buys you precious time to stop cancerous cells from spreading to other regions of your body.
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According to Dr Belinda Griffiths, GP from The Fleet Street Clinic, “nearly all people with bowel cancer” suffer from signs including “more frequent bowel movements”.
Bowel Cancer UK explains that there is no rule for how often you should be having a poo, with some people going more than once a day and others going every three to four days.
However, many patients with bowel cancer notice that they start going to the loo more often.
This red flag sign tends to be accompanied by looser stools and blood mixed in with the poo.
Even though going for a poo more often is linked to bowel cancer, it can also be a sign of eating more fibre or whole grains, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Fortunately, Griffiths also shared other key signs that target “nearly all people” with bowel cancer, including:
- Having looser stools
- Blood in your stools or rectal bleeding
- Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating
- A lump in your abdomen or your back passage
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme tiredness for no reason.
Griffiths said: “The symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and can often be confused with symptoms of other, less serious illnesses.
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“It is important to note that the majority of people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer but symptoms should not be ignored just in case it is.
“You should highlight concerns and symptoms which are present for longer than three weeks to your doctor so they can investigate the cause.”
What’s worse, the expert also warned that bowel cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms in some cases.
The good news is that you’re not entirely at the mercy of bower cancer showing symptoms as cancer screening can reveal tiny traces of blood in your poo. However, this is only available for people between the ages of 60 and 74, according to the NHS.
How to reduce your risk of bowel cancer?
The good news is that scientists believe that around 54 percent of all bowel cancer cases could be “prevented” by leading a healthier lifestyle, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
Between a healthy diet to nipping smoking in the bud, there are various lifestyle tweaks that could see your risk fall.
Your diet should focus on reducing your intake of red and processed meat as this can hike your risk while upping your fibre game.
The UK Health Security Agency suggests that cutting back on alcohol and exercising regularly could also help.
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