Bowel cancer is a general term that is used to describe cancer that begins in the large bowel. Depending on where in the bowel the cancer starts, bowel cancer can sometimes be referred to as colon cancer, or rectal cancer.
Symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in your stools (faeces), an unexplained change in your bowel habits, such as prolonged diarrhoea or constipation, and unexplained weight loss.
Cancer can sometimes start in the small bowel (small intestine), but small bowel cancer is much rarer than large bowel cancer.
About 14,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in women, making it the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer. The remaining 16,800 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in men, making it the third most common cancer in men after prostate and lung cancer.
Approximately 80 per cent of bowel cancer cases develop in people who are 60 years of age or over. Two thirds of bowel cancers develop in the colon, with the remaining third developing in the rectum.
In England, there are an estimated 13,000 deaths as a result of bowel cancer each year.
Risk factors for bowel cancer include:
Screening is carried out by taking a small stool (faeces) sample and testing it for the presence of blood.
Screening plays an important part in the fight against bowel cancer because the earlier the cancer is diagnosed the greater the chance is of achieving a complete cure.
See the NHS Cancer screening website for more information about the NHS bowel cancer screening programme.
As with most types of cancer, the outlook for individual cases depends largely on how far the cancer has advanced at the time of diagnosis.
Bowel cancer that is diagnosed in its earliest stages has a five year survival rate of 90 per cent, and a complete cure is usually possible. However, bowel cancer that is diagnosed in its most advanced stage only has a five year survival rate of six per cent and a complete cure is unlikely.
These figures reinforce the importance of screening for bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer can be treated using a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery
Symptoms of bowel cancer include blood in your stools (faeces), an unexplained change in your bowel habits, such as prolonged diarrhoea or constipation, and unexplained weight loss.
Cancer can sometimes start in the small bowel (small intestine), but small bowel cancer is much rarer than large bowel cancer.
The large bowel
The bowel is part of the digestive system. It has two main purposes:- to absorb energy, water, and nutrients from the food you eat, and
- to pass out the remaining waste products from your body in the form of stools.
- Ascending colon - runs from the end of the small intestine and up the right-hand side of the abdomen.
- Transverse colon - runs under the stomach and across the body from right to left.
- Descending colon - runs down the left-hand side of the abdomen.
- Sigmoid colon - is an ‘S’ shaped bend that connects the descending colon to the rectum (back passage).
- Rectum - the final section of the bowel; it is a small pouch that is connected to the outside opening of the bowel (the anus) through which stools are passed.
How common is bowel cancer?
In England, bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer, with an estimated 30,800 new cases diagnosed each year.About 14,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in women, making it the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer. The remaining 16,800 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in men, making it the third most common cancer in men after prostate and lung cancer.
Approximately 80 per cent of bowel cancer cases develop in people who are 60 years of age or over. Two thirds of bowel cancers develop in the colon, with the remaining third developing in the rectum.
In England, there are an estimated 13,000 deaths as a result of bowel cancer each year.
Risk factors for bowel cancer include:
- eating a high-fat diet,
- having a bowel condition, such as Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis,
- having a family history of bowel cancer, and
- alcohol misuse.
Bowel cancer screening
In 2006, the NHS launched a screening programme for bowel cancer. It is recommended that all people between 60-69 years of age are screened every two years.Screening is carried out by taking a small stool (faeces) sample and testing it for the presence of blood.
Screening plays an important part in the fight against bowel cancer because the earlier the cancer is diagnosed the greater the chance is of achieving a complete cure.
See the NHS Cancer screening website for more information about the NHS bowel cancer screening programme.
Outlook
The outlook for bowel cancer is moderate. About 50 per cent of people with bowel cancer will live for at least five years after receiving a diagnosis (five year survival rate), although many will live much longer than five years.As with most types of cancer, the outlook for individual cases depends largely on how far the cancer has advanced at the time of diagnosis.
Bowel cancer that is diagnosed in its earliest stages has a five year survival rate of 90 per cent, and a complete cure is usually possible. However, bowel cancer that is diagnosed in its most advanced stage only has a five year survival rate of six per cent and a complete cure is unlikely.
These figures reinforce the importance of screening for bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer can be treated using a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery
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