Bowel cancer – the facts

Reduce your risk

Runners warming up before Run for Moore Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK after breast and lung cancer. Almost 100 people in this country are diagnosed with the disease every day. Bowel cancer affects similar numbers of men and women.

However, there are a number of ways in which lifestyle changes can help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Lifestyle changes

Eat a healthy, balanced diet – high in fibre and low in red and processed meat.
Exercise regularly – try to get at least half an hour of physical activity five times a week.
Maintain a healthy body weight.
Limit how much alcohol you drink.

Spot bowel cancer early

If bowel cancer is detected early enough, then around four in five people can be successfully treated. Bowel cancer can have very recognisable symptoms such as:

Bleeding from the bottom without any obvious reason.
A persistent change in bowel habit to looser or more frequent bowel motions.
Stomach pain, especially if severe.
A lump in your stomach.

If you notice any of these changes and they last longer than four to six weeks you should report them to your GP.

Further information

If you, or someone you know has been diagnosed with bowel cancer, you will find more detailed information on our patient information site, CancerHelp UK.

You can download our bowel cancer factsheet (PDF, 105kb - find out about viewing PDFs) and a bowel cancer leaflet (PDF, 443kb) that has information on bowel cancer symptoms and how to reduce your risk of developing the disease.

Alternatively contact one of our cancer information nurses between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday on 0808 800 4040.