What is lower gastrointestinal (lower GI) cancer?

Lower GI or colorectal cancer includes:

• Bowel cancer
• Colon cancer
• Rectal cancer

Symptoms can include:

• changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
• tummy pain
• a lump in your tummy
• bloating
• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired for no reason

Why is early detection important?

Hear from Jeff a bowel cancer survivor who shares their experience on getting a diagnosis.

What to do if you’re worried

If you have any of these symptoms, speak to your GP practice in the first instance.

Bowel cancer screening

Screening and tests are available when referred by your GP practice or automatically when you are aged 50 to 74 years old. It’s important to take your test, to help us catch cancer early.

For lower GI cancers, Faecal Immunochemical testing (FIT) can be posted to you after the appointment stage and taken from the comfort of your own home.

• If you are aged 50 to 74 and registered with a GP, you will get a test posted to your home every 2 years automatically and it’s important to take that test – it can catch cancer early.
• People aged 75 and over can request a kit by phoning the NHS bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60
• People below 50 can get a test through your GP.

It is important to note that even if your FIT test results come back saying you do not have cancer, you should still speak to your GP practice if you have any of the symptoms listed at the top of this page.

Visit the NHS website where more information can be found on testing.

How to take your test

Hear from Mark – the Senior Commissioning Cancer Lead at Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB.

It is easy and takes just minutes to do.

Resources

Easy read bowel cancer screening videos

To improve the understanding of bowel cancer screening, we have developed the following four videos. These videos have been co-produced with people with a learning disability, and autistic people, and include easy read images, explanatory text, and scenario demonstrations.

Part 1 – What is the bowel cancer at home test?

Part 2 – How to use the bowel cancer at home testing kit

Part 3 – What happens during the bowel cancer screening pre-assessment appointment

Part 4 – What happens during the colonoscopy to check for bowel cancer