At Enable Law we have several very experienced medical negligence solicitors with a special interest and expertise in helping those who have suffered from a delay in diagnosis of cancer. As the second most prevalent cancer in Europe, we have worked with many individuals and families who have been affected by a delay in diagnosis of bowel cancer, and Enable Law is proud and privileged to partner with Bowel Cancer UK and to sponsor their Ask the Nurse service.
A sadly common theme that is emerging from the statistical data, is that the incidence of bowel cancer in those under the age of 50 (sometimes referred to as Early Onset Colorectal Cancer or EOCRC), is on the increase. The European Colorectal Cancer Awanress Month website shows that the incidence of digestive cancers in those under 50 has surged 80% in the last three decades, and a large proportion of this is due to bowel cancer.
I am a Partner in our clinical negligence team at Enable Law and lead the Cancer Special Interest Team. I have both professional and personal experience of how bowel cancer affects both patients and their families. I was therefore very pleased to be able to attend the Webinar hosted by Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE) on 27 February 2025, to launch this year’s campaign for European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is in March.
You’re Never Too Young
The theme of this year’s campaign is You’re Never Too Young. The aims are to:
- Spread the word about potential symptoms to look out for
- Be aware of higher risk genetic factors
- Empower individuals to challenge the perception that they are “Too Young for Cancer”
- Promote early intervention, diagnosis and treatment
- Promote lifestyle choices that can limit your risk of developing cancer
The key symptoms to look out for are:
- Bleeding when you have a bowel movement
- Blood in your stool (poo), which may appear red or cause your stool to appear very black in colour
- Change in Bowel habit – going more or less often, or experiencing diarrhoea or constipation that might come and go
- Bloatedness
- Pain or a lump in your abdomen
- Feeling tired all the time, or anaemia
- Losing weight without trying
Not everyone has all (or even any) of these symptoms, and if you are worried you should speak with your GP in the first instance.
Key learnings from the Digestive Cancers Europe webinar
The Webinar was opened by the president of DiCE, Lieve Wiernik, a pharmacist, politician, and herself a survivor of stage 3 bowel cancer. We heard from many scientists, researchers and patient advocates who were all very engaging, but too numerous to go through in detail here.
We learned about patients who fall into higher risk groups because of a genetic condition (notably Lynch syndrome and familiar polyposis) or a close family history of bowel cancer. However, it was noted that although these groups form a significant proportion of patients who are diagnosed with bowel cancer under the age of 50, over 50% of such patients are the first in their family to suffer the disease and have no predisposing genetic factors.
In addition, we learned that perhaps because symptoms in younger patients are dismissed for a period of time, more of these patients are diagnosed with a more advanced stage of the disease and are often symptomatic. A 6 – 12 month delay in diagnosis is common because general practitioners underrate their symptoms, and may attribute symptoms to menstruation, diet, or IBS. FITT testing is important, but referral for colonoscopy is crucial for diagnosis of bowel cancer and to enable the most appropriate treatment to be instigated.
Dr Eric van Cutsem, a Belgian gastro-oncologist who works with DiCE, talked about the importance of clinicians really listening to the patient and understanding their symptoms and the pattern of those symptoms. Whilst many symptoms of bowel cancer can be caused by a variety of innocent causes or alternative medical complaints, he explained how an experienced clinician should be able to differentiate between them if they take the time to properly listen to their patient.
Time and time again during the discussions, the clinicians and scientists emphasised that caught early, bowel cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers that there is. However delayed diagnosis can have a devastating impact on treatment options, quality of life post treatment and tragically, prognosis and life expectancy.
As well as a number of eminent scientists and researchers in the field, we were lucky to hear from a number of patient advocates at the Webinar, who perhaps have the most powerful voices of all.
Jude, from England, was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at the age of 33 but described how she had started having symptoms of bloating, abdominal pain and frequent diarrhoea at the age of 15. These were attributed at the time to poor diet and being overweight. However, even after losing weight, her symptoms persisted. By December 2021, she noted blood in her stool. She mentioned this to her new GP during an unrelated consultation and was finally referred for a FITT test and colonoscopy, which diagnosed stage 3 colon cancer.
Mila, a Spanish model and ambassador for ECCAM, described how her symptoms of bloating, anaemia and fatigue, were dismissed as being due to eating too quickly, menstruation and body image. She was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of just 26.
How can we raise awareness about bowel cancer within younger people?
The importance of getting the message out to a younger audience was also discussed, and the campaign will be shared on various social media platforms as well as more traditional forums.
For me, the key messages were the need for:
- Everyone to be aware that cancer does not know your age and that bowel cancer does not only affect older people.
- Individuals to be aware of the potential symptoms and to understand the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.
- Clinicians to be aware of the increasing numbers of young patients being diagnosed with bowel cancer and to listen to the patient’s symptoms, not rely upon their age.
- Clinicians to proactively exclude bowel cancer as the cause of symptoms (with a colonoscopy if appropriate), before giving an alternative diagnosis.
- Individuals to understand that they know their body best, and to be empowered to challenge medical opinion if you are not happy with the explanation given.
How can we help in colorectal negligence cases
At Enable Law we have a dedicated team of medical negligence lawyers with decades of experience supporting patients whose lives have been turned upside down because of a delayed or missed cancer diagnosis. We have helped many clients rebuild their lives by assisting them secure compensation to access privately funded treatments, help them reduce the financial problems caused by their ill health and ensure financial security for their dependants so that they can focus on their recovery and spend time with their loved ones without worrying about money.
If you or someone you care for have suffered because of a delayed cancer diagnosis we may be able to help you. To have a free, confidential discussion with a member of our team call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form here so we can call you back at a time convenient to you.
