Getting diagnosed with bowel cancer
You usually start by seeing your GP. They will ask you about your general health and symptoms and will also examine you. This might include an examination of your back passage (rectum). Your doctor will then decide whether to do tests or refer you to a specialist.
Seeing your GP when you have symptoms of bowel cancer
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.
Referral to a specialist for 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.
Bowel cancer screening
Bowel cancer screening aims to check for bowel cancer or abnormalities that could lead to bowel cancer. There are separate bowel screening programmes for the different countries in the UK.
Screening for people at high risk of bowel cancer
People with some conditions have a higher risk of getting bowel cancer at a younger age than usual. They might have screening earlier than the normal UK bowel cancer screening programmes.
Tests for 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).
Tests on your bowel cancer cells
Tests on your cancer cells can diagnose cancer and look for gene changes. Some of these tests can show how well particular treatments might work.
