colon cancer symptom : What is bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer, also known as colon and rectal cancer, is a cancer that develops as a result of abnormal changes in the cells that line the bowel. The bowel is part of the digestive system, it is divided into the small bowel (small intestine) and the large bowel (colon and rectum). The majority of cancers develop in the large bowel.

Statistically speaking, cancer in all its various forms affects one in three people in the U.K. Of these, around 30,000 people in the U.K. are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, which makes it one of the commonest cancers in this country. The good news is, if bowel cancer is caught early the cure rate can be as high as 90%.

What causes bowel cancer?

In the majority of cases it is not known why the cancer developed. However, people who have a rare disease called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (F.A.P.), have an increased risk of developing bowel cancer. F.A.P. is a condition which causes benign tumours, called polyps to develop in the bowel. Over time these polyps can develop into cancer.

There is also evidence to suggest you are more at risk of developing bowel cancer if your normal diet is high in animal fats and calories but low in fibre.

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