Bowel cancer campaign at city hospital

Published on Tuesday 28 April 2009 10:33

THE city's largest private hospital is to launch an awareness campaign on bowel cancer.

Timed to coincide with the disease's official awareness month, Murrayfield Hospital is urging its members to consider getting checked for the disease, which is very treatable if detected early.

Bowel cancer is the country's third most common cancer, and the owner of the hospital – Spire healthcare – said there were four main symptoms, including a change to bowel habits lasting more than a month, bleeding from the bottom, extreme tiredness without any obvious cause and pains or lumps in the abdomen.

David Bartolo, a consultant colorectal surgeon at the hospital, said: "The symptoms can easily be mistaken for other conditions such as haemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome.

Because of this, tumours are often diagnosed later in their development, meaning that surgery and chemotherapy are often the only treatment options.

"It is much better to be safe than sorry and visit your GP for referral."