Bowel Cancer – what’s the campaign about?

We think pharmacists have the potential to play a greater role in the early detection of cancer.  Raising awareness and talking to patients about symptoms of bowel cancer really can save lives because it can result in earlier diagnosis and better treatment options.

During Bowel Cancer Awareness Month every April the Royal Pharmaceutical Society raises awareness of bowel cancer symptoms with pharmacists and their customers to help increase early detection of the disease. We work with the charity Beating Bowel Cancer to provide information and support for pharmacists and the public on bowel cancer and bowel cancer screening.

We are also supporting the Department of Health's Be Clear on Cancer national campaign on bowel cancer. You can find out more about the early cancer detection campaign at www.rpharms.com/earlycancerdetection.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

The high risk symptoms are:

• A persistent change in bowel habit, especially going more often or looser stools for several weeks
• Bleeding from the bottom without any obvious reason
• Abdominal pain, especially if severe 
• A lump in your tummy

Anyone experiencing one or more of these symptoms for more than four to six weeks should get advice from their GP.

Bowel cancer FAQs

• How common is bowel cancer?
• How serious is bowel cancer?
• What causes bowel cancer?
• How can people reduce their risk of getting bowel cancer?
• How can my pharmacist help?