Bowel Cancer Awareness Month April 2024
Bowel cancer is a common type of cancer in both men and women. About 1 in 20 people will get it during their lifetime. It’s the fourth most common type of cancer, with most people being diagnosed aged over 60. Screening can help find it at an early stage when it’s easier to treat.
Everyone aged 60 to 74 (and those who are 56 years old) who are registered with a GP and live in England are automatically sent a bowel cancer home screening kit every two years. The NHS has the ambition to move toward everyone aged over 50 in the next few years.
Some of the common symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Bleeding from the bottom and blood in poo
- Persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- Sudden and unexplained weight loss
- Being easily fatigued with no obvious reason or cause
- Pain or a lump in the tummy
If you have any of these symptoms, it’s important to ask your GP for an at-home test as soon as you can.
Video: Using your NHS bowel cancer screening FIT kit
Note: Constipation, where you pass harder stools less often, is rarely caused by serious bowel conditions.