A Few Things You Need to Know About Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer can be lethal, which is highly
unfortunate because many people who have it exhibit “red flag” symptoms
that aren’t picked up on when they should be, according to a study
published in the British Journal of Cancer.
In fact, some 16% of emergency bowel cancer patients see their GP at
least three times with the relevant symptoms.These so-called “red flag”
symptoms were noted to be less common in patients diagnosed at an
emergency stage rather than early on in their illness.
The study was conducted by researchers from University College London
and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine. They
specifically focused on events in bowel cancer patients’ lives in the
five years leading up to their diagnosis.
National Cancer Registry data linked to GP
data for 1,606 patients visiting over 200 GP practices was used as the
sample for the study. The findings the researchers made were eye-opening
– some 35% of all diagnosed colon cancers and 15% of all rectal cancers
were diagnosed after the patient presented in an emergency situation.
While it must be said that many of these patients did not exhibit the
most obvious bowel cancer symptoms, making it harder for GPs to diagnose
them early on in the illness, the study established that 17.5% of colon
cancer patients and 23% of rectal cancer patients did in fact exhibit
“red flag” symptoms. This means that there was an opportunity for an
earlier diagnosis to be made that was missed.
A Study Participant's Story
A middle-aged man named Paul, who was
suffering from bowel cancer, wasn’t diagnosed until he had visited his
GP several times over. Noticing blood in his stools was the catalyst for
his GP to send him for more in-depth testing.
His GP had told him to simply lose weight in an attempt to beat the
constant lethargy he was feeling, but this didn’t really change much.
Even the results of his tests didn’t pick up on what was underlying, so
he decided to visit a private specialist to get to the bottom of the
problem.
The results of the internal exam were not good. Within a few days of
seeing the specialist, Paul was diagnosed with bowel cancer that had
also spread to his liver and lungs. Within a week of his diagnosis, he
was on the operating table for the first of a series of major operations
to remove the cancer.
More than two feet of his bowels were
removed, together with half of his liver. He also had to undergo
chemotherapy. While his energy levels have recovered, Paul says that
he’ll never be the same as he was, however he feels blessed to be alive.
His case is indicative of typical patterns found pertaining to patients
who are eventually diagnosed with bowel cancer. These patients tend to
visit their doctor more frequently in the year running up to their
diagnosis. As a suggestion to prevent diagnoses being missed, the
researchers proposed employing specially-trained nurses to support GPs
and act as a safety net during consultations.
What to Look Out For
Most common colon cancer symptoms in the year before diagnosis:
abdominal pain
anemia
diarrhea
rectal bleeding
Most common rectal cancer symptoms in the year before diagnosis:
rectal bleeding
change in bowel habits
diarrhea
abdominal pain
A Word from the Study’s Lead Researcher
Cristina Renzi, the lead researcher from
University College London, said the study clearly showed that those who
presented in an emergency situation did not fare as well as the patients
who were diagnosed by their GP.
She added that multiple visits to the GP prior to their diagnoses
represented multiple missed opportunities for earlier identification,
and stressed the need to find ways to ensure these patients are
diagnosed as soon as possible.
Studies such as this highlight the necessity of giving GPs the support
they need to be able to diagnose and refer patients promptly due to the
nature of the illness, she concluded.