Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel.
Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer.
It is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the UK.
The symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and don’t necessarily make you feel ill.
It’s therefore important to recognise the signs and see a doctor if you experience any of them.
More than 90 per cent of people with the disease will experience one of the following three main symptoms.
A persistent change in bowel habits
This can include needing to go to the toilet more often, with looser stools, and can sometimes be accompanied by tummy pain.
Blood in the stools
Blood in the stools without other symptoms of piles could be a sign of bowel cancer.
Piles, or haemorrhoids, are swellings containing enlarged blood vessels found inside or around the rectum and anus.
As well as blood in stools, other symptoms of piles can include an itchy bottom, a mucus discharge after passing stools, soreness, redness and swelling around the anus, and a limo hanging down outside the anus.
If you experience blood in the stools without any of the other symptoms of piles, it is unlikely you have piles.
Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating
This will always be brought on by eating and can sometimes result in a reduction in the amount of food eaten and weight loss.
Most people with these symptoms will not have bowel cancer, but the NHS advises seeing a doctor if they persist for more than four weeks.
Bowel cancer is most common in people over the age of 60.
People aged between 60 and 74 are eligible for a bowel cancer screening on the NHS.
A bowel cancer screening involves using a home testing kit to send off some samples of the stool to be tested for the presence of blood.
“This can help detect bowel cancer before symptoms appear, making it easier to treat and improving the chances of survival,” said the NHS.