Can bowel cancer cause back pain?

Bowel cancer symptoms explained by Doctor Richard Roope

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Bowel cancer is one of the rarest and most deadly types which mainly affects men and women aged 60 and over. Nevertheless, more than 42,000 people per year receive the heartbreaking diagnosis in the UK, and millions die worldwide. The disease is most treatable in its earliest stages, which people can identify with knowledge of several symptoms.

Can bowel cancer cause back pain?

Bowel cancer can form in any stretch of the small or large intestine.

With more than six metres of potential ground to cover, the symptoms those who develop the disease experience tend to vary.

But there are more uniform signs some patients may experience.

According to the NHS, more than 90 percent of people who develop bowel cancer may experience the following symptoms:

A persistent change in bowel habits – including more frequent visits to the toilet or stool consistency changes.

Blood in the stool without piles – piles are painful masses which cause bleeding in the anus, and blood without them may suggest an issue further inside the bowel.

Abdominal pain – the abdomen is located around the tummy, and cancer-related pain in the area may flare up after eating.

These symptoms can suggest a range of potential problems other than bowel cancer, but people should seek medical advice if they experience them regardless.

In its primary location, bowel cancer will cause pain in the frontal abdomen, but it can stretch to the back.

As such, some people may find bowel cancer does cause back pain, specifically in the lower region.

Early-stage bowel cancer may cause radiating pain, which could get worse as it spreads.

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Bowel cancer can spread to several sites in the body as it progresses through stages.

  • Potential places it could spread include:
  • The liver
  • Lungs
  • Lymph nodes
  • Peritoneum (tissue lining the tummy)

Bowel cancer has four stages, starting from confinement in the intestines and flaring outwards.

By the fourth stage, it has spread beyond the confinement of the bowel and into another organ.

Bowel cancer is just one of several that can cause aches and pain in the lower back.

Others which develop around nearby regions such as stomach, colon and rectal cancer can do the same.

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