People with bowel cancer may not experience any symptoms at all and they only know they have bowel cancer through screening. There are however many people that do have symptoms.¹ These symptoms may include:^1,2

• Changes in your usual bowel habit (constipation or diarrhoea)
  
• Changes in how your stools look or their consistency, such as thin bowel movements, mucus in stool
• Feeling like your bowel hasn’t completely emptied your bowel after a bowel movement
• Blood in stools
• Abdominal pain including bloating or cramping
• Anal or rectal pain
• A lump in the anus or rectum
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained fatigue
• Tiredness and/or anaemia (appearing pale, weakness and breathlessness)

Having one or more of these symptoms doesn’t mean you have large bowel cancer, however it's a good idea to have a chat with your GP or specialist if you have any questions or concerns.

It's not clear what can cause large bowel cancer, however there are a number of factors that may increase your risk. The se factors may include:^,1,2

• Being over 50 years of age
  
• Polyps
• Carrying extra weight
• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking tobacco
• Diet
• A high diet in red or processed meats such as ham or salami
• A low fibre diet
• Close family history of bowel cancer, such as a parent, brother or sister
• This risk can increase if they were diagnosed before 55 years of age or if two or more close family members on the same side have had bowel cancer
• Certain inherited genes
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Having previously been diagnosed with bowel cancer

Having one or more of these risk factors doesn't mean that you will develop large bowel cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your GP or specialist.

A range of tests may be performed to analyse symptoms, to diagnose bowel cancer, and to determine the disease stage. Following a physical examination, which may include an assessment of any abdominal swelling, further tests may include: ^1,2

• Blood tests - The aim of testing your blood is to understand if there are any signs of blood loss in your stools, and also to test for a low red blood cell count, which is common in people with bowel cancer
• Colonoscopy - This is the primary test used to check for bowel cancer. This procedure is usually done under sedation in a hospital day surgery clinic. During a colonoscopy, your doctor will insert a flexible tube with a camera on the end through your anus and into your colon. A colonoscopy requires complete emptying of the bowel and specific preparation (your doctor will let you know how to do this).
• Biopsy - Involves the removal of a piece of tissue from the bowel wall, which is then analysed for cancer. A biopsy is usually taken during a colonoscopy.
• Imaging scans - X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or positron emission tomography (PET) scan

• Radiation therapy  is generally in combination with surgery, either before surgery to reduce the size of the cancer that needs to be removed, or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells
• Radiation therapy is also sometimes used in combination with chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy  is an approach to cancer therapy which involves the administration of medicine, usually orally or by injection, which is intended to kill cancer cells or minimise their growth and spread
• Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with radiation therapy and before and/or after surgery

• The type of surgery you will have will depend on where in the bowel the cancer is, as well as your preferences
• Surgery may be suggested for either early or advanced bowel cancer
• Surgery is done under general anaesthetic, and the recovery time will vary depending on the type of surgery you need
• Your doctor is the best person to talk to about the specific surgery required

• Targeted therapy refers to treatment with drugs that are designed to specifically attack cancer cells without harming normal cells
• These types of drugs affect the way that cancer cells grow, divide, repair themselves or interact with other cells

• Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that is intended to help your immune system fight cancer; it is a type of targeted therapy
• There are different types of immunotherapy for cancer that work in different ways