Understanding Bowel Cancer
- Rebecca Atton, 41, is determined to live through her 10 year-old daughter’s teenage years after receiving a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis.
- The mom is urging others to get a fecal immunochemical (FIT) test and be aware possible symptoms.
- Other than stomach pain, something which is unusual for Atton, she said there were “no symptoms” in her case.
- 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.
- 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, fatigue and unintended weight loss.
Rebecca Atton, from Southend, Essex, learned she had terminal bowel cancer last December.
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As Atton awaits her next scan results in August, she told Femail, “Even now, my friends can’t believe my diagnosis, my skin looks good I haven’t lost my hair, I used to go to the gym regularly, I quit smoking before turning 40 – but my time is limited, and I’m aware of that.” She informed the news outlet that her morphine dosage for pain has doubled, leading her to suspect her next scan “won’t be good.”
Despite her worries, Atton understands her long odds but hopes the treatment will extend her life and allow her to see her 10-year-old daughter Ava in her teenage years.
Now, Atton is urging others to purchase a fecal immunochemical (FIT) test and do an at-home screening test for colon cancer. “There was no blood in my poo, as the NHS advert a few years ago suggested was a warning sign, I wasn’t tired, nothing – people need to be more aware of this – there appear to be two camps of people,” she told Femail. “People like me with no symptoms and the diagnosis hits them like a sledgehammer or others that have symptoms that are mistaken for Crohn’s disease or IBS.
“I made the mistake of thinking this was something that happened to old people, I never dreamed it would happen to me it didn’t even cross my mind – that’s why we need more awareness,” she concluded.
Understanding Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel, but we generally 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."
Living with Colorectal (Bowel) Cancer
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.
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.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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