A prominent GP warns that those overlooking key signs of bowel cancer may potentially have to undergo 'aggressive' treatment.
Dr Mark Porter, in his column for The Times, has raised the alarm about people taking too long to report crucial bowel-related symptoms to their doctor. To encourage those experiencing concerning bowel symptoms to seek medical aid more promptly, Bowel Cancer UK is actively promoting a new awareness drive this month.
Emotional distress and apprehension regarding the medical investigations needed are often cited as barriers, according to Dr Porter. Outlining some of the major indicators to pay attention to and get checked, he explained: "Common red flags include bleeding from your bottom (often not cancer but never normal) and/or an unexplained and prolonged change in bowel habit (more than a few weeks), typically to becoming looser rather than constipated."
Dr Porter emphasised the importance of getting an appointment, explaining: "Call or email your practice, outlining your symptoms (and any relevant family history of bowel cancer), stating that you are concerned. What happens next will depend on practice policy but will often start with a stool test that you can do at home to look for, or confirm, bleeding, as well as some blood tests, all followed by an appointment with the GP to run through your symptoms and results. And this will typically include a physical examination and a finger up your backside."
He noted that benign causes like IBS or piles could sometimes be identified at this stage, but in cases of uncertainty, patients would be referred on the fast-track suspected cancer pathway and most likely offered a colonoscopy to scrutinise the inside of their bowel, reports Gloucestershire Live.
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Highlighting the forthcoming challenges and offering encouragement, Dr Porter added: "The next hurdle is what the specialist finds but I can reassure most of you about this too: 90 per cent of people referred on the "two-week" pathway with suspected bowel cancer will turn out to have nothing of the sort.
"This still means 10 per cent will be given bad news but, assuming they sought help as soon as they could, there is a good chance they will be cured. The five-year survival rate after surgery alone for very early cancers is about 90 per cent, but this drops to 10 per cent for the most advanced cases.
"When someone gets a positive stool test and a colonoscopy is performed as a result, 38 out of every 100 individuals will have either a normal bowel or minor issues such as tiny polyps or piles that don't require further treatment. However, just over half the individuals will be diagnosed with polyps that need to be removed similar to mine.
"Sadly, nine out of every 100 people would be diagnosed with cancer, hopefully, in early stages when the chances of recovery are excellent. So the message is clear. Your symptoms are probably not due to cancer but if they are and you delay, the treatment is only going to get more aggressive (chemo and possibly radiation in addition to surgery) and the outcome worse. Early presentation doesn't always guarantee a less advanced cancer but it can only help."
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