Bowel cancer: 'I went to my GP after I noticed blood - catching it early saved my life'

An Edinburgh man who overcame bowel cancer is urging people not to ignore warning signs this festive season after early diagnosis helped save his life.

Stephen Brown was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, at the age of 54. Because it was caught early, he had successful surgery.

A stoma bag was fitted temporarily and reversed four months after his procedure.

“I noticed I was passing blood in my poo – that’s not natural,” he said. “At first I gave it a couple of weeks to see if it would go away, but it didn’t. When it’s bright red blood, you know that’s not normal.”

Stephen, who worked in the insurance industry for 40 years before retiring, contacted his GP, who referred him quickly for further tests.

Stephen Brown with his wife on holiday STV News

“She said, ‘I can’t tell you it’s not serious, but it’s not piles,’” he said. “I was booked in for a colonoscopy straight away.

“Afterwards, the surgeon told my wife and me they’d found a small tumour.”

Within weeks, Stephen was preparing for surgery just before Christmas.

“The surgeon said it had been caught early and the prognosis was good,” he said. “I needed a stoma, but he said it would be reversed later.

“Some people cope with it very well, but I struggled with it. It was quite restrictive when I was wearing a suit, driving, going to football.”

Stephen says support from NHS staff, particularly specialist cancer nurses, helped him through his health journey.

Screening tests are offered to those aged 50 to 74 in Scotland STV News

“You’re allocated a colorectal cancer nurse and I learned far more from her,” he said. “That’s when I really understood how important early diagnosis is.”

This time nine years ago, Stephen spent Christmas in the Western General Hospital – which he says is a reminder of how lucky he is.

He has since spent his retirement volunteering with Bowel Cancer UK to raise awareness and encourage people not to ignore symptoms.

“It’s about awareness – a huge amount of people don’t know what the symptoms are. It’s also about highlighting the need for going to the doctor quickly and getting caught early.

“A lot of people get the screening kit and just leave it on the mantelpiece. It takes five minutes.”

He added: “If you’ve had any type of cancer, there’s a great opportunity to get involved with the charity. It’s enjoyable – I’ve met so many different people, people I’m friends with, raised money for the charities.”

‘If caught early, it’s really treatable’

Scotland has taken a leading role by lowering the bowel cancer screening age to 50, a move now being followed by England and Wales.

Each year, approximately 4,000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Bowel Cancer UK is encouraging everyone to take inspiration from stories like Stephen’s and stay alert to the warning signs of the disease as part of the ‘Be the Early Bird’ campaign launched by the Scottish Government.

Bowel Cancer UK senior policy manager Phil Satherley STV News

Senior policy manager Phil Satherley said: “With something like bowel cancer, the earlier it’s detected, the better outcome it is for patients.

“It’s important to keep in people’s minds the kinds of symptoms they associate with it – blood in your poo, a lump in your tummy, excessive tiredness. We want to give people the confidence not to ignore it and to talk to their GP – that’s an important first step.

“It’s crucial when you get your screening kit that you do the screening. The kit is very simple to do and send it off. If it’s detected, you go and have a colonoscopy. Get your results. If it’s caught early, it’s really treatable.”

He added: “What’s great about the Early Bird campaign is it’s aimed at everyone and encourages us to think about the symptoms associated with different types of cancers.

“We’re all working together to encourage people to think about the little signals and warning signs.”