The ‘silent’ symptom of killer cancer you can see in your pee – here are the signs to look out for
BOWEL cancer is typically associated with changes in your poo.
People might notice they need to go more often, they have to strain when they do, or that blood appears when they wipe.
But there actually several other symptoms not linked to going for a number two.
One of the more unusual signs is bubbles in your pee, known as pneumaturia.
This can occur if a tumour in the colon invades into the bladder, according to Verywell Health.
It is most often an indication of stage 4 bowel cancer, also called colon or colorectal cancer depending on where it starts, as it means it has spread to other parts of the body.
This can be difficult to treat and not possible to cure.
There are also signs of bowel cancer that have nothing to do with the toilet at all.
These include weight loss, tiredness, breathlessness and vomiting.
Others may experience headaches, bone pain, fever and a lump in their stomach.
Bowel cancer kills more than 16,500 people in the UK every year – or 45 a day.
It is the fourth most common cancer, after breast, prostate and lung.
Someone is diagnosed with the disease every 15 minutes – totalling 43,000 a year.
Like most cancers, early diagnosis can save lives.
Fewer than one in ten people survive bowel cancer if it’s picked up at stage 4, but detected quickly – at stage 1 before it has spread – more than nine in 10 patients will live five years or longer.
The two best ways to protect yourself are to know the signs and symptoms and to take up the invitation for NHS screening when you become eligible.
Depending on where you live, this starts aged 50.
You are at greater risk of bowel cancer if you have one or more of the following factors:
- Aged over 50
- A strong family history of the disease
- A history of non-cancerous growths, known as polyps, in your bowel
- Long-term inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Type 2 diabetes
- An unhealthy lifestyle – you smoke, are overweight or obese and do not get enough exercise
What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?
BOWEL cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, claiming more than 16,500 lives a year – or 45 people every day.
It is also the fourth most common cancer, after breast, prostate and lung.
Someone is diagnosed with the disease every 15 minutes – totalling 43,000 a year.
It is more common in the over 50s, but it can affect people of all ages.
Bowel cancer is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early.
The most common symptoms are:
- Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
- A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
- A pain or lump in your tummy
Less common symptoms include:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Gas and bloating
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Fever
- Air bubbles in your urine
- Problems breathing
- Headache and neurological problems
- Bone pain
Source: Bowel Cancer UK, NHS and Verywell Health