Understanding Bowel Cancer
- When Caroline Guy, 56, first went to her doctors struggling with bloat, she was told her symptoms were likely attributable to menopause. She later discovered she had stage four bowel cancer, but after grueling treatments and an intense operation, she’s been told that she’s in remission.
- Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel, but generally we use the term colorectal cancer in the United States.
- One of our experts emphasizes the importance of colorectal cancer screenings such as colonoscopies because most colorectal cancers can be prevented early with screening.
- Possible symptoms of bowel cancer to look out for include a change in bowel habits, a feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that's not relieved by having one, rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, cramping or belly pain, weakness and fatigue and unintended weight loss.
The 56-year-old mother of two knew something was wrong before her diagnosis, but doctors originally thought she was just experiencing symptoms of menopause in 2019.
Read MoreThe surgeon told her husband the situation was “very bad,” adding that she was “looking at three to four months.” But, thankfully, that proved not to be the case.
Her treatment first consisted of chemotherapy and a targeted drug, and later scans showed that her tumor has shrunk, though her prognosis was still not very good at this time,
“I didn't want to hear a timescale, I was doing really well,” she said. “I had a pump fitted, and I'd go away and have chemotherapy for 48 hours at home. It's been a long hard process, but I have never had my treatment stopped. And the staff were absolutely marvelous.”
After her chemotherapy regimen, her tumors had shrunk and her doctors said she could undergo a “huge operation” to give her the best cancer at recovery. After that procedure, which included a full hysterectomy, Guy got the best news she could have hoped for: She was in remission.
“The surgeon looked at me and said you've got no cancer,” she said. “I said 'are you sure? I just couldn't believe it. It's a miracle.
“I don't fear anything any more, because nothing can be as bad as being told you have a cancer that is incurable and terminal.”
She’ll continue to be monitored every three months for the next five years, but Guy is eternally grateful for the doctors that’ve helped her get to where she is today.
“When a surgeon says they are going to operate, and not with a view to extending your life, but to go in determined to cure you, it means everything. I owe them everything,” she said.
Understanding Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel, but generally we use the term colorectal cancer or colon cancer or rectal cancer depending on the location of the cancer in the United States.
Bowel cancer, like all cancers, presents its own unique challenges for patients on the road to recovery. But Dr. Heather Yeo, a surgical oncologist and colorectal surgeon at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, wants to remind people how far the treatment of this disease has come.
"One of the most exciting things about my job is that we've made a lot of progress on treatment options," Dr. Yeo says in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. "However, patients are still while they're living longer, they are still living with colon cancer, and so I think it's really important that we talk about how some of the things in your life affect you."
Symptoms of Bowel Cancer
Colorectal (bowel) cancer might not immediately cause symptoms, but these are possible symptoms to look out for:
- A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days
- A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that's not relieved by having one
- Rectal bleeding with bright red blood
- Blood in the stool, which might make the stool look dark brown or black
- Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain
- Weakness and fatigue
- Unintended weight loss
It is important to note, however, that displaying some of these symptoms does not mean you have colorectal cancer. You could also have colon cancer and not display any of these symptoms. Regardless, it is important to bring up any symptoms to your doctor should they arise.
Screening for Bowel Cancer
Dr. Yeo also reminds people of the importance of colorectal cancer screenings such as colonoscopies because most colorectal cancers can be prevented early with screening.
"In the United States, on a national level, colorectal cancer has been decreasing for the last 20 years," Dr. Yeo says. "And much of that is thought to be directly due to screening for colon cancer."
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Even still, colorectal cancer cases are rising among younger people. And in the United States alone, rates have increased every year from 2011 to 2016 by 2 percent among people younger than 50. Because of this increase, the United States Preventive Services Task Force has recently updated its colorectal cancer screening recommendations to begin at age 45 instead of 50.
"We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early," Dr. Yeo said. "Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this. But access to care is a real problem."
And increasing access is crucial to making sure that we don't see racial disparities within the world of colorectal cancer. Whites and Asians are significantly more likely to be up to date with their colonoscopies than African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.
RELATED: Why Do So Few Black Men Get Colon Cancer Screenings?
Research suggests that tailoring colon cancer screenings to each person's individual risk may be beneficial. If you are not yet 45 but have concerns about your risk, talk to your doctor. Ask about your individual risk based on your lifestyle and family history and find out when screenings would be right for you.
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