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April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, a fantastic annual opportunity to raise awareness of bowel cancer and funds to support our work.
About Bowel Cancer UK
the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity and determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. They support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.
The facts about bowel cancer
Every 15 minutes someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK. It’s more common in the over 50s but it can affect people of all ages. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with the disease.
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer but it shouldn’t be, as it’s treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage, however this drops significantly as the disease develops.
Being aware of the key symptoms and visiting your GP if things don’t feel right can help increase chances of an early diagnosis, and could save your life.
The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:
Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
Unexplained weight loss
Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
A pain or lump in your tummy.
Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms but if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, see your GP.
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Lancashire Resilience Newsletter Issue 16
Featuring information on the new Lancashire COVID-19 Restrictions
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