Bowel Cancer (Colon and Rectal Cancer)
Bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer, starts in the large bowel (the colon) or the back passage (the rectum). Most begin as a polyp, a small growth on the bowel lining that causes no symptoms and takes years to turn into cancer. That slow start is the opportunity: a polyp found at colonoscopy is usually removed during the same procedure, before it ever becomes cancer. In Nigeria bowel cancer is often diagnosed late, because bleeding is put down to piles and a change in bowel habit is put down to food, and it is seen in younger adults more often than many people expect.
Find a Gastroenterology SpecialistMedically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Symptoms
- Blood in or on the stool, or bleeding from the back passage
- A change in bowel habit lasting more than a few weeks: looser stools, going more often, or new constipation
- A feeling that the bowel has not emptied properly
- Pain or a lump in the abdomen
- Tiredness and breathlessness from anaemia
- Losing weight without trying
When to See a Doctor
See a doctor if you have bleeding from the back passage, or a change in bowel habit that lasts more than three weeks, at any age: do not assume it is piles. Ask about screening from forty-five even if you feel well, and earlier if a parent, brother or sister had bowel cancer, particularly at a young age. Go to an emergency department for heavy bleeding, severe abdominal pain with vomiting, or being unable to pass stool or wind, which can mean the bowel is blocked.
Treatment options
- Screening with a stool test for hidden blood, followed by colonoscopy if it is positive
- Colonoscopy, which finds polyps and removes most of them at the same time
- A biopsy of anything suspicious, examined in the laboratory
- CT scanning to see whether a cancer has spread
- Surgery to remove the affected part of the bowel
- Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, before or after surgery, depending on the stage
What it costs on Mezo
Published cash prices for the operations used to treat this condition. Your own quote follows an examination.
Common Questions
At what age should I be screened?
Guidance in several countries now starts screening at forty-five for people at average risk. If a close relative had bowel cancer, especially before sixty, screening usually starts earlier, and a doctor can advise on when.
I have no symptoms. Do I still need a check?
Yes, that is the point of screening. Polyps and early cancers usually cause no symptoms at all. By the time bleeding or weight loss appears, a cancer has often been growing for years.
Is bowel cancer only a disease of old people?
No. It is commoner with age, but Nigerian hospitals see it in people in their thirties and forties, often diagnosed late. Bleeding or a lasting change in bowel habit deserves a proper look at any age.
Can bowel cancer be cured?
Often, when it is found early. A polyp removed before it turns into cancer prevents it altogether, and an early cancer removed with surgery is frequently cured. Late diagnosis is what makes it dangerous.
Need Help?
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