What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

Common symptoms of bowel cancer are listed below.

Don't worry as these symptoms are very common for lots of other reasons too, so most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer.

However, it's worth going to your GP if you notice one of these things, just to check.

a persistent change in bowel habit – pooing more often, with looser, runnier poos

sometimes tummy or abdominal pain

blood in the poo

abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating – sometimes resulting in a reduction in the amount of food eaten and weight loss

Constipation, where you pass harder poos less often, is rarely caused by serious bowel conditions.

Weight loss

When to get medical advice

See a GP if you have any of the symptoms of bowel cancer.

Bowel blockage

In some cases, bowel cancer can stop digestive waste passing through the bowel. This is known as a bowel blockage.

Symptoms of a bowel blockage can include:

intermittent, and occasionally severe, abdominal pain – this is brought on by eating
unintentional weight loss – with persistent abdominal pain
constant swelling of the tummy – with abdominal pain
being sick – with constant abdominal swelling

A bowel obstruction is a medical emergency. If you suspect your bowel is blocked, go to the accident and emergency department of your nearest hospital.

This information is based on content supplied by the NHS website, edited by the Lynch Choices™ team.