Colon Cancer Negligence Claims.

Colon cancer shares some symptoms with other, often less serious, conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), haemorrhoids, or inflammatory bowel disease. However, it’s always advisable to consult your GP as soon as possible if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• A change in bowel habits lasting for longer than a few weeks, such as constipation, diarrhoea, or narrow stools.
• Feeling like you need to have a bowel movement, but not feeling relieved after having one.
• Bleeding from the rectum, which will be bright red blood.
• Blood in the stool, which may be dark brown or black.
• Abdominal cramps, stomach pains, and bloating.
• Unintentional and unexplained weight loss.
• General weakness and fatigue.

The symptoms of colon cancer often don’t appear until the cancer has begun to grow and spread, so it’s vital to seek medical assistance at the first sign of anything unusual occurring in your digestive system. If you are offered routine screening for colon cancer it is highly advisable to attend the appointment as it can help to detect colon cancer before symptoms begin to show, and pre-cancerous polyps can be removed before they develop into cancer.

Colon cancer occurs when cells divide and multiply rapidly and incorrectly, with the process usually beginning in the large bowel. There is no definitive way to determine who will develop colon cancer, however there are a number of risk factors that may increase the likelihood of it occurring, including:

• Age – Those over the age of 60 are more at risk than younger people
• Diet – Those who consume a lot of red or processed meat, and not enough fibre
• Exercise – Those who live a sedentary lifestyle have an elevated risk
• Lifestyle – Those who are overweight, or who smoke and/or drink alcohol in excess
• Family – Those with a family history of colon cancer
• Health – Those with long term conditions such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

If your GP is aware that you fall into any of the high risk categories and they either fail to offer you routine screening or fail to refer you for further testing when you present with symptoms, this may constitute medical negligence. If your cancer progresses as a result of this negligence then you may be eligible to claim compensation.

If you develop any of the symptoms of colon cancer, the first step on the path to diagnosis is to see your GP. They have a duty of care to carry out a physical examination; discuss your general health and family history; and refer you to a specialist for further testing where necessary.

Following your referral, there are a number of tests that may be carried out in order to produce an accurate diagnosis. These include:

• A rectal examination to check for lumps and swelling
• A blood test to check iron levels, and check liver and kidney function
• A colonoscopy to assess the inside of the large intestine
• A biopsy to check for the presence of cancer cells in a tissue sample
• A sigmoidoscopy to examine the rectum and colon
• A virtual colonoscopy scan to build a 3D image of the large intestine
• A CT, MRI, ultrasound, or PET scan, or an x-ray
• A gene or protein test to check which gene/protein caused the cancer

If the diagnostic tests determine that you do have colon cancer, the treatment options available will often depend on the stage your cancer has reached, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Surgery is typically used to treat localised colon cancer, by removing the affected part of the colon and therefore removing the cancerous cells from the body.

If the cancer has spread, surgery may no longer be a viable option, and more aggressive treatment options may be required such as chemotherapy or targeted therapy drugs. In some cases, the cancer may have spread so far as to be incurable, in which case your doctor may prescribe palliative chemotherapy or radiotherapy in order to slow the progress of your cancer.