All you need to know about bowel cancer

In one of our latest medical articles here below, highly experienced and regarded consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Aamir Saleem, lays out all of the key nuggets of information regarding bowel cancer.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

The symptoms of bowel cancer include unexplained loss of weight, a change of bowel habits, constipation, passage of blood through the back passage, unexplained diarrhoea, and feeling generally unwell.

What are the risk factors for bowel cancer?

Family history, consuming processed meat and red meat, and some environmental factors, which are remotely related.

How is bowel cancer diagnosed?

Bowel cancer is diagnosed based on stool samples and confirmed through an endoscopy. A biopsy then completely confirms the presence of bowel cancer.

What are the stages of bowel cancer?

The stages of bowel cancer include the cancer being confined to the bowel or it can spread to other organs through the lymphatic drainage and through the bloodstream to the liver. It is either a localised or a metastatic disease.

What are the treatments for bowel cancer?

The treatment for bowel cancer can either be surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy before surgery, or just radiotherapy and chemotherapy without surgery. If bowel cancer has spread extensively, then palliative treatment would be necessary.

What are the risks and side effects of bowel cancer treatments?

The risks of bowel cancer treatment in particular include nausea, abdominal pain, general sickness, and vomiting. There could be other specific side effects that can be discussed with the patient’s oncologist at the time of the treatment.

If you’d like to consult with Dr Aamir Saleem today, simply visit his Top Doctors profile.