Lost a friend to bowel cancer today and i was thinking the only way i can honor him is to create awareness about bowel cancer and if you have lost someone to cancer feel free to share the type of cancer

Overview

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel. Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer.

Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK. Most people diagnosed with it are over the age of 60.

Symptoms of bowel cancer

The three main symptoms of bowel cancer are:

persistent blood in the stools – that occurs for no obvious reason or is associated with a change in bowel habit
a persistent change in your bowel habit – which usually means going more often, with looser stools
persistent lower abdominal (tummy) pain, bloating or discomfort – that's always caused by eating and may be associated with loss of appetite or significant unintentional weight loss

When to seek medical advice

Your doctor may decide to:

carry out a simple examination of your tummy and bottom to make sure you have no lumps
arrange for a simple blood test to check for iron deficiency anaemia – this can indicate whether there's any bleeding from your bowel that you haven't been aware of
arrange for you to have a simple test in hospital to make sure there's no serious cause of your symptoms

Causes of bowel cancer

These include:

age – almost 9 in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over
diet – a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase your risk
weight – bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese
exercise – being inactive increases your risk of getting bowel cancer
alcohol and smoking – a high alcohol intake and smoking may increase your chances of getting bowel cancer
family history – having a close relative (mother or father, brother or sister) who developed bowel cancer under the age of 50 puts you at a greater lifetime risk of developing the condition; screening is offered to people in this situation, and you should discuss this with your GP

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/

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Bowel cancer screening

To detect cases of bowel cancer sooner, the NHS offers two types of bowel cancer screening to adults registered with a GP in England:

All men and women aged 60 to 74 are invited to carry out a faecal occult blood (FOB) test. Every two years, they're sent a home test kit, which is used to collect a stool sample. If you're 75 or over, you can ask for this test by calling the freephone helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
An additional one-off test called bowel scope screening is gradually being introduced in England. This is offered to men and women at the age of 55. It involves a doctor or nurse using a thin, flexible instrument to look inside the lower part of the bowel.
Taking part in bowel cancer screening reduces your chances of dying from bowel cancer. Removing any polyps found in bowel scope screening can prevent cancer.

However, all screening involves a balance of potential harms, as well as benefits. It's up to you to decide if you want to have it.

To help you decide, read our pages on bowel cancer screening, which explain what the two tests involve, what the different possible results mean, and the potential risks for you to weigh up.


Treatment for bowel cancer
Bowel cancer can be treated using a combination of different treatments, depending on where the cancer is in your bowel and how far it has spread.

The main treatments are:

surgery – the cancerous section of bowel is removed; it's the most effective way of curing bowel cancer and in many cases is all you need
chemotherapy – where medication is used to kill cancer cells
radiotherapy – where radiation is used to kill cancer cells
biological treatments – a newer type of medication that increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and prevents the cancer spreading
As with most types of cancer, the chance of a complete cure depends on how far it has advanced by the time it's diagnosed. If the cancer is confined to the bowel, surgery is usually able to completely remove it.
Keyhole or robotic surgery is being used more often, which allows surgery to be performed with less pain and a quicker recovery.

Living with bowel cancer
Bowel cancer can affect your daily life in different ways, depending on what stage it's at and the treatment you're having.

How people cope with their diagnosis and treatment varies from person to person. There are several forms of support available if you need it:

talk to your friends and family – they can be a powerful support system
communicate with other people in the same situation – for example, through bowel cancer support groups
find out as much as possible about your condition
don't try to do too much or overexert yourself
make time for yourself
You may also want advice on recovering from surgery, including diet and living with a stoma, and any financial concerns you have.

If you're told there's nothing more that can be done to treat your bowel cancer, there's still support available from your GP. This is known as palliative care.

8 ways to help prevent bowel cancer

1. Get screened
Screening before symptoms become present is important, because bowel cancer can develop without any early warning signs. Surveillance may mean regular faecal occult blood testing (or FOBT) of the bowel movement for invisible blood. If positive for blood, colonoscopy is recommended to investigate the cause.

Most bowel cancers develop slowly from pre-cancerous growths called polyps. Early detection and removal of these pre-cancerous polyps prevents the development of bowel cancer.

Screening every 1 to 2 years can reduce your risk of dying from bowel cancer by up to 33%.

2. Eat a healthy high-fibre diet
Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables, reducing saturated fats (in animal products, processed foods and takeaway). There is also strong evidence the eating fibre can help prevent bowel cancer by reducing the risk of problems such as constipation and inflammation of the bowel wall. National guidelines recommend 2 serves of fruits, 5 serves of vegetables, and wholegrain foods every day.

3. Engage in regular physical activity
There is strong evidence that exercise cuts the risk or bowel cancer and polyps, and a sedentary lifestyle increases it. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, five or more days a week.

4. Reduce consumption of red and processed meat
Research has shown a moderate effect of red meat in increasing risk of bowel cancer, especially with processed meat. Charring of meat is best avoided.

5. Don’t smoke
Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop bowel cancer, and even more likely to die from the disease.

6. Maintain a healthy body weight
Obesity is linked to bowel cancer, especially in men. And the evidence points to abdominal obesity (or belly fat) as a key factor. Maintaining a healthy body weight, for both men and women, also reduces the risk of a number of other diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

7. Drink alcohol in moderation
Heavy drinking may increase risk of bowel cancer. If you do drink, one standard drink per day for women, two standards drinks per day for men, with 2 alcohol free days per week for both ,is recommended.

8. Know your family history
Heredity (the genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring) plays a big role in bowel cancer; up to 20% of people who develop bowel cancer have a relative with the disease. Find out if your relatives had bowel cancer or polyps (growths in the colon or rectum) that can be precursors of the disease. Also find out how old they were when they were diagnosed. If there is a strong family history of bowel cancer in your family, genetic counselling can be beneficial.

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Good one unknownsolja. Lost my Brother in law here in Chicago in January and it was so painful seeing what he went through. Good info and I hope people heed your advice.