DecemBeard has now been running for 5 years and for those last 5 years, thousands of men around the country have put down their razors and grown a beard to show their support for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer.

What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer includes cancer of the large bowel (colon) and rectum (back passage).

The large bowel is where water from digested food is absorbed and waste left behind forms into poo.    The back passage is where this poo is stored before it passes out of the body.     Cancer can develop in any of these areas.

Most cancers start as a small growth in the lining of the bowel.  If they are not treated they can become cancerous and grow into the muscle layers and through the bowel wall.

Unfortunately then the cancer can then spread to nearby organs and to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system and bloodstream.

Bowel cancer symptoms

• a change in bowel habit, for example going to the toilet more often, having looser poos or tummy pain
• blood in your poo (when you have not got piles)
• tummy pain, discomfort or bloating after you have eaten

If these symptoms continue for more than 4 weeks you should see your GP.

There is a useful bowel cancer symptom checker on the NHS choices website.

Diagnosing bowel cancer

There are several tests that can be carried out to check for bowel cancer:

• back passage examination by your GP
• blood tests to check for anaemia as this is common in people with bowel cancer
• blood tests to check liver and kidneys are working normally
• examination by a bowel specialist
• sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy (camera)
• if you cannot have a camera then you may had a CT colonography or barium enema

If the tests show that there is cancer you may need further tests and scans to determine whether or not the cancer has spread.

Treating bowel cancer

The treatment you receive depends on a number of factors, including the type and size of cancer, your general health and fitness and how far the cancer has progressed.

Most people with early bowel cancer will have surgery.  They may also have chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Where the bowel cancer is advanced and has spread to other parts of the body the treatment again will depend on the type of cancer, the size and number of secondary cancers and your general health and fitness.

Chemotherapy is most likely and you may also have surgery.   There are also specialised surgical treatments that may be suitable.

Facts about bowel cancer

• Approximately 16,000 people die of bowel cancer each year – that is one every 30 minutes.
• Approximately 41,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year – that is someone every 15 minutes.
• If diagnosis is early, more than 90% of bowel cancer cases can be treated successfully.
• It can affect anyone at any age but 95% of cases occur in people over 50.
• The risk of developing bowel cancer is 1 in 14 for men and 1 in 19 for women.

How can you help?

Go to www.decembeard.org and “use your bristles to raise vital awareness and funds”. There are ideas about how you can raise money and awareness for bowel cancer.

How can Graysons Help?

Here at Graysons we recognise the devastating effect that a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis of bowel cancer can have.   We understand the importance of compensation to you as it can greatly improve quality of life for you and your family and provide the care and security that is needed.

If you would like to talk to a member of our specialist team, then please contact us for confidential and free discussion today.

You can find out more about claiming compensation for a failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of cancer on our web pages.

By Petra Heath, medical negligence solicitor.