Bowel Cancer Negligence & Misdiagnosis Claims Solicitors.

The bowel is a part of the digestive system, and it is made up of the small bowel (small intestine), and the large bowel which comprises the colon and rectum. Bowel cancer, sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer, is a type of cancer which affects any of these parts of the bowel. Most commonly, bowel cancer affects the colon or rectum, with cancer of the small intestine being the rarest type of bowel cancer.

The large bowel is mostly made up of the colon, which is around five feet long and is divided into four sections: the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon. Cancer can develop in any four of these sections.

Bowel cancer can spread to other parts of the body via the lymphatic system, which is made up of lymph nodes that form part of the body’s immune system. One of the first places that bowel cancer can spread to is the abdomen due to its close proximity to the bowel. As well as the lymphatic system, bowel cancer can also spread via the bloodstream, often to the liver as the blood flows directly between these two parts of the body.

If your bowel cancer has spread to other areas of your body due to late diagnosis or delayed treatment, you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable medical negligence team to find out more.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can often be quite subtle and they can also be similar to several other conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis. However, the key symptoms to look out for include:

• A change in bowel habits lasting more than 4 weeks
• Persistent iron deficiency anaemia
• Blood in the stool with the absence of pain/discomfort
• Abdominal bloating, pain, and discomfort after eating
• Unexplained/unintentional weight loss
• Persistent swelling of the stomach plus vomiting
• Intermittent and often severe abdominal pain

If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist for four weeks or longer, it is recommended that you see your GP as soon as possible so that they can rule out certain conditions and send you for further testing where necessary.

Bowel cancer can affect anyone, but there are certain risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing the disease, including:

• People over the age of 60
• People who frequently smoke tobacco
• People who frequently drink alcohol
• People who eat a lot of red and processed meats
• People who are classified as medically obese
• People with a family history of bowel cancer
• People who consume very little fibre
• People with a sedentary lifestyle
• People with pre-existing digestive conditions

If you have any of the risk factors mentioned above and you present to your GP with symptoms of bowel cancer, they have a duty of care to refer you for further testing urgently. Any delay in referring you could lead to a worsening of your condition and could constitute medical negligence. To find out if you have grounds for a compensation claim, please get in touch with us today to discuss your case.

If your GP suspects bowel cancer they will usually complete an urgent referral for further tests to be carried out at a hospital, which will include some or all of the following tests:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy – A procedure in which a narrow tube with a tiny camera and a light on one end is inserted into the rectum and lower colon.
• Colonoscopy – Similar to a sigmoidoscopy, a colonoscopy is more invasive as it looks at the whole of the colon as opposed to just the lower section.
• CT Colonography – This procedure uses computed tomography (CT) to scan the colon and rectum.
• Faecal immunochemical test (FIT) – This type of test looks for traces of blood in the stool sample which can be a sign of bowel cancer.

Additionally, there is currently a national screening program open to everyone aged 60 to 74 years who is registered with a GP and lives in England. Patients within this demographic are automatically sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit every two years to complete at home, and it is important that those who are eligible and receive a test complete and return it to ensure that any early warning signs are detected and acted upon quickly.

The programme is expanding so that everyone aged 50 to 59 years will be eligible for screening. This is happening gradually over four years and started in April 2021 with 56 year olds.

If it is suspected that you have bowel cancer and the appropriate tests were not carried out, or the test results were not acted upon, causing your cancer to progress and worsen, you may be entitled to claim for bowel cancer negligence compensation. Our specialist team of medical negligence solicitors can guide you through the process and ensure the best possible outcome from your case.

The type of treatment you receive for bowel cancer will typically depend on the type and the stage which the cancer is at, but treatment will typically involve one or more of the following methods

• Colon surgery – In the early stages it may be possible to perform a local excision, whereby a small piece of the colon wall containing the cancer is removed. If the cancer has spread into the muscles that surround the colon, a colectomy is typically necessary, which involves the removal of an entire section of the colon.
• Rectal surgery – Small, early stage rectal cancer can sometimes be removed via the bottom, using an endoscope. However, in most cases a larger area of the rectum needs to be removed via total mesenteric excision (TME), whereby a significant portion of the bowel around the tumour is removed.
• Stoma surgery – A section of the bowel is removed, and faeces are temporarily diverted by bringing part of the bowel out via the abdominal wall and attaching it to the skin, which is known as a stoma. A bag is then worn over the stoma in order to collect the faeces.
• Radiotherapy – This type of treatment has several uses. Before surgery it can shrink the cancer to improve the chance of complete removal. In early stage cancer, radiotherapy can be used to cure or stop the spread of the cancer. In advanced cases, radiotherapy is used palliatively to slow the spread of bowel cancer and prolong a patient’s life.
• Chemotherapy – This involves a combination of cancer killing medicines administered either orally or intravenously, and can be used before surgery to shrink the tumour, or after surgery to minimise the risk of the cancer returning.
• Targeted therapies – These are medicines which are designed to target the biological processes used by bowel cancer to spread throughout the body. For example, epidermal growth factor receptors (EFGRs) are proteins that help the cancer to grow, so targeting these can help to shrink tumours and slow the spread.

The longer that bowel cancer is left to progress, the more likely it is that aggressive treatment options will need to be used. This is why prompt and accurate diagnosis is so important when it comes to bowel cancer. If you have been affected by negligent treatment for bowel cancer which has led to your condition worsening, please get in touch to find out how we can help you.