Colorectal Cancer

The colon and rectum make up the large bowel. Cancer of the colon or rectum is also called colorectal cancer or bowel cancer. Overall, between men and women,  is the second most common cancer diagnosed in Ireland.

In most people, the cause of colon and rectal cancer is still unknown, but research is going on to try to find the cause. We do know that some things – called risk factors – can increase our chances of developing colon or rectal cancer. These factors include eating a lot of processed meats, being overweight, getting very little exercise, and smoking.

Some people may have a higher risk of developing bowel cancer if they have inherited a faulty gene.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may all be used to treat bowel cancer. Many people survive colon and rectal cancer.

Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer

The symptoms of bowel cancer may include any of the following:

• blood in, or on the stools (bowel motions) – the blood may be bright red or dark in colour
• a change in your normal bowel habit (such as diarrhoea or constipation) for no obvious reason, lasting longer than six weeks
• pain in the tummy (abdomen) or back passage
• a feeling of not having emptied your bowel properly after a bowel motion
• unexplained weight loss
• unexplained tiredness

 

The tiredness can happen if the cancer has been bleeding so the number of red blood cells is reduced (anaemia). Anaemia may also make you feel breathless.

Sometimes the cancer can cause a blockage (obstruction) in the bowel. The symptoms of this are:

• being sick (vomiting)
• constipation
• pain in the abdomen
• a bloated feeling