More than a third of adults in Birmingham can’t name a single symptom of bowel cancer
Bowel Cancer UK has launched a new campaign to raise awareness
A new report by Bowel Cancer UK, has revealed that more than a third of adults living in Birmingham (35%) can’t name a single symptom of bowel cancer. The disease is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, but almost seven in 10 people (68%) living in the city aren’t aware of this fact.
The YouGov results are published ahead of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month this April, as part of Bowel Cancer UK’s new campaign helping people to #KnowTheHigh5 symptoms of bowel cancer.
Manisha Sandhu, from Birmingham, lost her sister at to bowel cancer last year. The mum of two was aged just 34 when she started to complain about being tired and loosing her appetite. But Manisha says she was diagnosed as having IBS by her doctor, even though she told them she worried it was cancer.
It was only when she was taken to hospital did they diagnose her with stage four bowel cancer, but by then it was too late.
She tells us "You know your body better than anyone else. A lot of it can be a stigma, and not wanting to talk about things.
"But it's so important to know when your body is acting differently and to act upon that. It can save your life.
"My sister would still be here if she acted on it or was taken more seriously."
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Charity Bowel Cancer UK, said: "If you are diagnosed at Stage One, it's survivable, but the reason it kills so many people is cause too many people are diagnosed too late."
"The most important think is to know what's normal for you. If something doesn't feel right, then trust your gut and go and talk to your GP."
One of the key ‘red flag’ bowel cancer symptoms is blood in your poo but just over a third of people (36%) living in Birmingham were able to name it. The other four main symptoms, experienced by many who go on to be diagnosed with the disease, have an alarmingly low rate of awareness based on those people could name:
· Change in bowel habits (10%)
· Pain in tummy (11%)
· Weight loss (7%)
· Tiredness/fatigue (2%)
This is compared with higher rates of awareness in more affluent areas, where over half of people know blood in your poo is a sign of bowel cancer, like the South West (56%) and the South East (52%).
Even more concerning is that almost seven in 10 people (64%) in Birmingham said if they experienced a change in bowel habit like diarrhoea or constipation that didn't clear up, or saw bleeding from their bottom, something would stop them from contacting their doctor.
Their reasons included difficulties getting an appointment (34%), being too embarrassed (16%) or being too afraid that it could be something serious (15%).