Overview

• There are about 44,100 new bowel cancer cases in the UK each year, making it the third most common cancer with rising incidence among under-50s.
• Painless rectal bleeding has emerged as a critical warning sign after 31-year-old Chris Kirt only sought evaluation when he passed blood without any discomfort.
• Doctors initially dismissed 65-year-old Austin Birks’s changing bowel habits as IBS, delaying the CT scan that later revealed stage 4 colon cancer.
• Colonoscopy remains the definitive diagnostic procedure for colorectal tumors, prompting some patients like Kirt to pay privately to avoid long NHS waits.
• Late detections often require major surgery and chemotherapy, highlighting the urgency of faster referrals when red-flag symptoms appear.