Bowel (colorectal) cancer
Symptoms of bowel ( ) cancer can include a change in your normal bowel habit or blood in your poo. These can also be symptoms for other conditions, but it’s important to see your doctor.
Cancer in the large bowel (colon cancer) and back passage (rectal cancer) have similar symptoms.
Take a look at this 1 minute video about the symptoms of bowel cancer.
The symptoms of bowel (colorectal) cancer can include:
bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your poo
a change in your normal bowel habit, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation
a lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or tummy (abdomen)
a feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to poo), even after opening your bowels
losing weight when you haven’t been trying to
pain in your abdomen or back passage
tiredness and breathlessness caused by a lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia)
Sometimes cancer can block the bowel. This is called a bowel obstruction. The symptoms include:
cramping pains in the abdomen
feeling bloated
constipation and being unable to pass wind
being sick
A bowel obstruction is an emergency. You should see your doctor quickly or go to A&E at your nearest hospital if you think you have a bowel obstruction.
Blood in your poo (stools or faeces) can be a sign of bowel cancer. But it is often due to other causes. See your GP if you are worried about any symptoms that you think could be caused by cancer in the bowel.
Most often, blood in the poo is from piles (haemorrhoids), especially if it is bright red, fresh blood. Piles are swollen blood vessels in the back passage. These blood vessels are fragile and can easily get damaged when you have a poo, causing a little bleed.
Blood from higher up in the bowel doesn't look bright red. It goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel. Or it could be from a bleeding stomach ulcer for example.
Your doctor won't think you are wasting their time. It’s very likely that you’ll have a rectal examination. This means the doctor puts a gloved finger into your back passage and feels for anything abnormal.
Your GP might arrange a test that looks for tiny traces of blood in a sample of your poo. The traces of blood might be too small to see. This is a test called FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test). You do this test yourself at home.
Find out about testing for blood in your poo using FIT
Or your doctor might send you to the hospital for further tests.
Get information on tests for bowel cancer
Last reviewed: 06 Nov 2024
Next review due: 06 Nov 2027
See your doctor if you notice a change in your bowel habit that isn't normal for you or if you have any other of the possible signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.
Your GP should arrange for you to have tests or to see a specialist if you have symptoms that could be due to bowel cancer.
You might have a number of tests to check for bowel cancer. This includes a test that looks for tiny traces of blood in a sample of poo (FIT) and a test to look at the inside of your bowel (colonoscopy).
The risk factors for bowel (colorectal) cancer include your age, family history, lifestyle factors and other medical conditions.
Bowel cancer is also called colorectal cancer. It affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum.
Bowel cancer means cancer that starts in the colon (large bowel) or back passage (rectum). It is also known as colorectal cancer.
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