FAQs
Bowel Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Lung Cancer
Bowel Cancer
- What are the symptoms of bowel Cancer?
The most common symptoms of bowel cancer are:
- A change from your “usual” bowel habit
- Bleeding from the bottom with no obvious reason
- Passing mucous with the faeces
- Unexplained tiredness
- Abdominal pain
- How many people get bowel cancer?
In the UK about 35,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year. In England and Wales, this number is increasing by one per cent every year for men. It is staying the same for women.
- How many people die of bowel cancer?
In the UK, about 16,000 people will die of the disease every year making it the third most common cause of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths.
- What is the lifetime risk for bowel cancer?
The lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer for men is around 1 in 18. For women it is around 1 in 20.
- What are the risk factors?
- Age:
Bowel cancer can occur in younger people but 8 out of 10 people who get cancer of the bowel are over the age of 60.
- A previous bowel polyp
- Personal history of chronic bowel inflammation:
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease will slightly increase the risk of developing bowel cancer.
- Diet:
A diet that is high in red meat and fat and low in vegetables, folate and fibre may increase the risk of bowel cancer. (Folate is a B vitamin found in cereals, liver, beans, spinach, asparagus and other green vegetables. Folic acid is the synthetic supplement)
- Obesity:
Being overweight or obese may increase the risk of bowel cancer.
- Lack of exercise:
Moderate exercise may help prevent bowel cancer.
- Smoking and alcohol:
Although not as strong a risk factor as for other cancers, smoking may also increase the risk of bowel cancer, particularly on heavy drinkers. Alcohol consumption may increase risk, especially in those with low levels of folate in their diet.
- Family history:
Fewer than 1 in 10 cases of bowel cancer are due to an inherited gene defect. However, there are certain families who have an increased risk of developing bowel cancer due to a variety of conditions including familial adenomatous polypsis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolypsis colon cancer (HNPCC).
- Personal history of bowel cancer:
Having had bowel cancer before increases the risk of a new cancer developing.
- Where can I find out more information on bowel cancer?
Visit the NHS choices page
here for more information on bowel cancer and links to other sites.
Prostate Cancer
- What are the symptoms of Prostate cancer?
The most common of prostate cancer are:
- Sudden need to pee
- Problems with starting to pee
- Frequent peeing, especially during the night
- Pee flow is weak and irregular
- Pain when peeing
- Feeling your bladder is not empty after peeing
- Blood in your pee
The prostate is a small gland found only in men. It is below the bladder and is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the tube that carries urine from the bladder (the urethra). It produces some of the fluid in semen, and is important to a man’s sex life.
The prostate may get bigger as men get older. This causes no problems for two out of three men over 50. But if the prostate gets bigger it can press on the urethra and cause urinary symptoms. This is called benign prostate disease or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It usually affects men over 50 but is not cancer, and it is treatable.
However, in some men these symptoms are caused by the abnormal growth of prostate cells, which results in prostate cancer.
- Who gets prostate cancer?
Each year about 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK. Because prostate cancer usually grows slowly, the outlook for many men is good, especially if their cancer has not spread beyond the prostate itself. But despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, about 10,000 men in the UK die from prostate cancer every year.
- What are the risk factors?
You are more likely to get prostate cancer if:
- You're over 50
- You're of AfricanCaribbean or West African descent
- You have a family history of prostate cancer
- You're obese
- Pain when peeing
- You eat a highfat diet, particularly one high in dairy foods
- Blood in your pee
The following have also been linked to the development of prostate cancer in some (but not all) studies. It's not clear whether there is a real association with prostate cancer or whether the results of the studies were found by chance:
High consumption of alcohol, especially spirits such as whisky.
Working with pesticides.
Having a vasectomy (‘the snip’).
- Which of these risk factors can I change?
There are some risk factors for prostate cancer that can't be changed, including:
- Age
- The risk of prostate cancer rises with age, from about 50 years, and increases as you get older.
- Ethnicity
- Prostate cancer is more common in men from AfricanCaribbean or West African families, and less common in men from Asian families.
-
Family history
- A man is two to three times more likely to get prostate cancer if a close relative (father or brother) had it. The risk is highest if the relative was young (under 60 years) when diagnosed, or two or more close relatives have had prostate cancer.
However, there some things that you can do that may cut your risk of developing prostate cancer:
- Diet
Research suggests that diets containing foods with antioxidants may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. These foods include:
-
Brazil nuts, sunflower and sesame seeds, cereals, fish and chicken, which all contain selenium.
Sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and dark green leafy vegetables, which all contain vitamin E. Vitamin E has been found to reduce risk in some studies, but not in others.
Tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and papaya containing substances called lycopenes.
Green tea, which contains substances called polyphenols.
Men who had early prostate cancer, and those whose diets were high in carotenoids and lycopenes, were much less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer (such as carrots, broccoli and tomatoes).
- Alcohol
There is some evidence that drinking, particularly binge drinking, may increase the risk.
-
Working with pesticides
Some studies have suggested a link between prostate cancer and farm workers who use pesticides. A recent ‘study of studies’ said the evidence was limited and that any link was weak.
- Why isn’t there a national screening programme for prostate cancer?
When considering national screening programmes the benefits and harms need to be carefully assessed and the benefits should always outweigh the harms. Until there is clear evidence to show that a national screening programme will bring more benefit than harm, the NHS will not be inviting men who have no symptoms for prostate cancer screening. The UK National Screening Committee will continue to keep the situation under review.
- How can I be diagnosed with prostate cancer?
Initial tests are done by your GP but the diagnosis can only be confirmed by tests carried out by a hospital specialist.
If you have symptoms that could be caused by prostate cancer, your GP will discuss the pros and cons of the tests with you. Your doctor is likely to:
- Ask for a urine sample to check for infection.
- Take a blood sample to test your level of prostatespecific antigen (PSA).
- Examine your prostate (digital rectal examination).
Depending on the results of these tests, your GP may refer you to a hospital specialist to make a diagnosis. As well as repeating the prostate examination and PSA test, the doctor at the hospital may carry out a:
- Biopsy.
- MRI or CT scan.
- Bone scan.
Prostatespecific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland. All men have a small amount of PSA in their blood, and the amount increases as they get older.
The amount of PSA in your blood may be higher than normal if you have an enlarged prostate (caused by benign prostatic hypertrophy), prostate cancer, or an inflamed prostate (prostatitis), which may be caused by infection.
It may also be higher than normal if it has been irritated by physical pressure placed on it, for example from cycling, or after a recent ejaculation.
- Where can I find out more information on prostate cancer?
Visit the NHS Choices page
here for more information on prostate cancer and links to other sites.
Lung Cancer
- What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
The most common of lung cancer are:
- Coughing a lot of the time
- Change in your cough
- Coughing up phlegm with blood in it
- Breathlessness (difficulty chanting)
- Ache or pain coughing or when breathing deeply
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
Lung cancer can cause additional symptoms if it spreads to other parts of your body. The most common places for lung cancer to spread are:
- the brain
- the liver
- the bones
- the lymph nodes (glands)
Symptoms of advanced lung cancer can include:
- bone pain
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes)
- seizures (fits)
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- feeling mentally confused
- swelling of the lymph nodes in your chest and neck
- a feeling of weakness in your arms and legs
- How many people get lung cancer?
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer (after skin cancer) in England and Wales, with an estimated 31,000 new cases being diagnosed every year.
- How many people die of lung cancer?
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancerrelated death in both men and women. During 2007, there were 29,660 deaths in England and Wales as a result of lung cancer. An estimated 26,500 people die each year as a result of smokingrelated lung cancer.
- How does the cancer spread?
Most cancers grow and spread to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is a series of glands (or nodes) that are spread throughout your body, much like your blood circulation system. The lymph glands produce many of the specialised cells that are needed by your immune system.
Lung cancer is somewhat unusual in that as well as spreading via the lymphatic system it can also spread via the blood. This is why bone cancer often spreads to the brain, as cancerous cells can ‘leak’ out of the bone and into the blood before travelling up towards the brain.
- What are the risk factors?
- Smoking
Smoking cigarettes is the single biggest risk factor for lung cancer and responsible for 90% of all cases.
Tobacco smoke contains over 60 different toxic (poisonous) substances which are known to damage DNA and can trigger the development of cancer. These substances are known as carcinogenic (they are cancerproducing).
If you smoke just one cigarette a day, you are three times more likely to get lung cancer than a nonsmoker. If you smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day, you are 20 times more likely to get lung cancer than a nonsmoker.
- While cigarettes are the biggest risk factors, using other types of tobacco products can also increase your risk of developing lung cancer, as well as other types of cancer, such as mouth cancer. These products include:
- Cigars
- Pipe tobacco
- Snuff (a powdered form of tobacco)
- Chewing tobacco
Smoking cannabis has also been linked to an increase risk of lung cancer. Most cannabis smokers mix their cannabis with tobacco, and although they tend to smoke less than tobacco smokers, they usually inhale more deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs for longer.
- Passive smoking
Even if you do not smoke, frequent exposure to other people’s tobacco smoke (passive smoking) can increase your risk of developing lung cancer.
For example, research has found that nonsmoking women who share their house with a smoking partner are 27% more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmoking women who live with a nonsmoking partner.
- Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is created when uranium in the earth’s crust decays. Radon has been known to seep up from the ground into buildings.
If radon is breathed in, it can cause damage to your lungs, particularly if you are also a smoker. Radon is estimated to be responsible for about 3% of all lung cancer deaths in England.
- Occupational exposure
Exposure to certain chemicals and substances that are used in a number of different occupations and industries has been linked to a slightly increased risk of developing lung cancer.
- These chemicals and substances include:
- Arsenic
- Asbestos
- Beryllium
- Cadmium
- Coal and coke fumes
- Silica
- Nickel
- Occupations that carry an increased risk of exposure to these types of chemicals and substances include:
- agriculture
- mining
- metal production
- shipbuilding
- coke and gas production
- construction
- lorry and taxi driving
People who work in these occupations are 24 times more likely to develop lung cancer than the population at large (if there are no other associated risk factors).
- How can I prevent lung cancer?
Not smoking
- This is the most effective way to prevent getting lung cancer. If you are a smoker, the best way to prevent lung cancer, plus other serious conditions, is to stop smoking as soon as possible.
However long you have been smoking, it is always worth quitting. Every year that you do not smoke, your risk of getting serious illnesses, such as lung cancer, will start to decrease. After 10 years of not smoking, your chances of developing lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
Diet
-
Research suggests that eating a low fat, high fibre diet, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day) and whole grains can help to reduce the risk of lung cancer, and other types of cancer, plus heart disease.
Exercise
-
There is a strong body of evidence to suggest that regular exercise can lower the risk of developing lung cancer as well as other types of cancer.
A minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, at least five times a week, is recommended. The exercise should be strenuous enough to leave your heart beating faster, and you should feel slightly out of breath afterwards. Examples of vigorous exercise include going for a brisk walk and walking up a hill.
- Where can I find out more information on lung cancer?
Visit the NHS Choices page
here
for more information on lung cancer and links to other sites.