The earlier bowel cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is available once every 2 years to everyone aged 54 to 74 who is registered with a GP.
Residents will automatically be sent an invitation, then their screening kit, so they can complete the test in the privacy of their own home, and the results will determine whether further tests are required.
People who are eligible but have not received an invite are asked to call 0800 707 6060. Anyone who isn't registered with a GP can find out how to do so at NHS - GPs.
Bowel cancer can affect anyone, whatever their age, gender or ethnicity. Symptoms can include bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo, a change in your pooing habits such as going more or less often or having diarrhoea or constipation, losing weight but you’re not sure why, feeling very tired all the time for no reason, or a pain or lump in your tummy. Having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have bowel cancer, but it’s still important to find out what’s causing them.
The risk of developing bowel cancer can be reduced by cutting down on red and processed meats, eating 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day, keeping to a healthy weight, exercising regularly, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: "Bowel cancer is an aggressive form of cancer which still claims the lives of thousands of people every year.
“Early diagnosis is crucial for increasing the survival rate – and when cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, people have a much higher chance of successful treatment than those whose cancer has become more widespread.
“That's why, this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, we are asking people to make sure they are able to recognise the symptoms of bowel cancer, and to understand the importance of regular screening.
"Screening is used to detect bowel cancer when it is at an early stage in people with no symptoms, which is when treatment is more likely to be effective. Screening can also find polyps; these are abnormal clumps of cells in the bowel. Polyps are not cancers but can develop into cancers over time. Polyps can be easily removed, which reduces the risk of bowel cancer developing."
People who are not eligible for screening, but have concerns that something is not quite right, should speak to their GP as soon as possible.
For more information on bowel cancer screening, please visit Bowel cancer screening. Help and support is also available from experts on hand at the Black Country Cancer Bus, which will be at Queen Square, Wolverhampton, on Thursday 10 April from 10am to 4pm, and a pop up information stand at Bilston Indoor Market on Thursday 24 April from 9am to 3pm.
To find out more about Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which runs throughout April and is organised by the charity Bowel Cancer UK, please visit Bowel Cancer UK.
