As part of the Decembeard campaign, to grow a beard for the month of December and help beat bowel cancer, Off The Street is taking this opportunity to raise awareness of the cancer
To get involved visit: decembeard.org
Bowel Cancer
Someone dies from bowel cancer every half an hour, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Knowing the symptoms and acting on them saves lives.
If you notice any one or more of the higher risk symptoms listed here, it is usually quite safe to watch and wait for up to three weeks. But if the symptoms have not settled down after this time, you should get advice from your GP.
- Bleeding from the bottom or blood in your poo
- A persistent change in bowel habit
- Abdominal pain
- A lump in your tummy
- Unexplained weight loss or tiredness
9 in 10 people survive if diagnosed early
If diagnosed at an early stage, bowel cancer can be treated very successfully in over 90% of cases. In spite of this, bowel cancer remains the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, claiming a life every half an hour.
43% of bowel cancer cases are diagnosed in people aged 75 years and over, and 95% are diagnosed in those aged 50 and over. However, bowel cancer can affect anyone at any age – around 5% of new bowel cancer cases are in people aged under 50.
To check for symptoms and further information and support visit: beatingbowelcancer.org
