New to Bowel Cancer? Start Here
Bowel Cancer: the few things that matter most, and the mistakes that catch people out early.
Cancer of the colon or rectum, one of the commonest cancers in the UK.
Key takeaways
- Screening, England: home FIT kit from age 50, every 2 years
- Key symptoms: change in bowel habit, blood in stool, weight loss, abdominal pain
- Most useful single change: Return the screening kit when it arrives.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming rectal bleeding is always haemorrhoids.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Why bother
It is highly treatable when found early, screening finds it before symptoms, and rates in younger adults are rising.
Start here
These two first. Everything else is easier once they are habit.
- Return the screening kit when it arrives
- Report rectal bleeding even if you think it is piles
Then add these
When those have settled in, these are worth adding.
- Report a persistent change in bowel habit lasting three weeks or more
- Mention family history, which can change screening arrangements
The numbers, in one place
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Screening, England | home FIT kit from age 50, every 2 years |
| Key symptoms | change in bowel habit, blood in stool, weight loss, abdominal pain |
| Three-week rule | applies to a persistent change in bowel habit |
| Rising incidence | in adults under 50 |
Common early mistakes
- Assuming rectal bleeding is always haemorrhoids
- Assuming you are too young; incidence in under-50s is rising
- Waiting for pain, which is often late
Where to go next
- Bowel Cancer: What to Do, in Order
- Popular Beliefs About Bowel Cancer, and What Is Actually Published
- Bowel Cancer — the reference entry
- Breast Cancer: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Living With and Beyond Cancer: What Published Guidance Supports
When to speak to a doctor
See a GP promptly for a persistent change in bowel habit lasting three weeks or more, blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal pain, a lump in the abdomen, or unexplained iron deficiency anaemia. Seek urgent help for severe abdominal pain with vomiting and inability to pass wind.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
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