About bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK after breast and lung cancer. Each year, more than 40,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK, that’s around 110 people every day. Sadly, 44 people per day lose their lives to it.

A largely preventable disease

The good news is that over half of the bowel cancer cases in the UK  could be prevented by changes to lifestyle. You can reduce the risk of the disease by keeping a healthy body weight, taking plenty of exercise, eating a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol and being a non-smoker.

We’re making great progress. In the early 1970’s around one out of four bowel cancer patients in the UK survived their disease beyond five years. Now two out of four will survive beyond five years.

Find out more about what affects your risk of developing bowel cancer.

It's important to spot bowel cancer early

When bowel cancer is diagnosed at the earliest stage, over 90% of bowel cancer patients will survive the disease for more than five years.

It is important to know what is normal for you so that you can spot any changes. If you have any of these symptoms for more than three or so weeks, you should make an appointment to see your GP. Most of these symptoms won’t be due to bowel cancer but it’s better to be on the safe side.

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

Visit the spot cancer early website to watch our video about bowel cancer signs and symptoms.

Bowel cancer screening

Bowel screening is a way of detecting bowel cancer at an early stage, or sometimes, preventing cancer from developing in the first place.

The national bowel screening programme currently uses Faecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT). FOBT looks for traces hidden traces of blood in your stools. The test can be done at home using a testing kit received through the post.

Traces of blood in the stools can be a sign of bowel cancer. So by finding them, screening can help pick up the disease at an early stage when it’s easier to treat.

Screening saves lives. When bowel cancer is caught early treatment is simpler and more effective. Find out more about bowel cancer screening.

Questions about bowel cancer?

Cancer Research UK provides clear and easy to understand information for people affected by cancer.

Visit our CancerHelp UK website for reliable, up-to-date information on cancer, its treatment and the latest research.

Call our specialist cancer nurses freephone on 0800 800 4040 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Visit our Cancer Chat forum and share your information and experiences with others affected by cancer.

Further information

You can access the latest statistics and order publications relating to bowel cancer by visiting the Cancer Research UK website.