How will I know I have bowel cancer?

After a bowel cancer screening test, the bowel screening program might tell you that you need more tests, or you might have symptoms that might be bowel cancer.

You won’t know if you have bowel cancer until your doctor has talked to you, completed a physical examination and done some more tests.

Having these tests does not mean you have cancer, but it is really important to check.

The tests might include:

• a blood test
• a colonoscopy, a procedure where your doctor can view your bowel on a screen by inserting a long tube into your backside.
• a CT scan or MRI scan to see what your insides look like
• a biopsy, where a tiny bit of your bowel is taken out during the colonoscopy, and they use a microscope to look at it.