Bowel cancer symptom: Seemingly fit man with stage 4 cancer shares his first sign

Geoffrey Seymour, 41, was in good shape and used to enjoy playing various sports like tennis, basketball and cricket. However, Seymour had developed no evident symptoms to alert him of the growing bowel cancer.

It was two weeks before his birthday that he noticed his first symptom.

Seymour first noticed that there was blood in his stools. Seeing this change, he knew it could be a symptom of cancer, and decided to consult his doctor.

Seymour was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer, which had metastasized in the liver.

Geoffrey said, as quoted by Express UK, “I’ve always looked after myself, so to get the diagnosis was huge. It was like being wrapped in a paper bag that’s on fire, but I’ve always had the knack of being able to find my way out of tricky situations and never giving up is just my thing.”

After the diagnosis, in March 2021, Seymour had five cycles of chemotherapy every three weeks. These initially helped to reduce the lesions in his liver. In December 2021, he had surgery to have a third of his liver removed.

A month later, a scan showed more tumors in Seymour's liver. So, he had another round of chemotherapy.

It was a success and liver surgery was booked for June 2022. However, a few weeks before the surgery, a scan revealed disease progression.

Geoffrey was put back on chemotherapy with a different agent. His surgery was canceled. After two cycles of chemo, blood work and a scan showed disease progression again. The side effects were getting unbearable for Geoffrey.

“The side effects have gotten worse, worse, worse, and now, chemotherapy is just not effective anymore, the body’s gotten used to it," he shared.

The treatment has also severely blistered the skin on his face. Explaining his body's adverse reaction to chemo, he said, “Essentially it kills all your fast-growing cells, which include your cancer cells, but also includes your hair and nails. I had a really bad reaction to that in my face.”

Read more: Thyroid cancer survivor lists 5 initial signs that shouldn’t be ignored

Here are some other signs which could be linked with bowel cancer:

-Diarrhea, constipation or change stool consistency

-Persistent abdominal discomfort

-Feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely

-Fatigue

-Unexplained weight loss

Since chemo is not effective anymore, Geoffrey has traveled to Germany for dendritic cell therapy. In this, a personalized vaccine is created in a lab to stimulate the immune system.

According to Cancer Research UK, research in this area is in its infancy. The treatment is not cheap. Geoffrey, who is hopeful to fight cancer, is continuing to fundraise to pay for his potential treatment.

A bowel cancer can be fatal if it is not detected and treated on time. There's a likelihood that the cancer may spread to other parts of the body including the liver, the lungs, brain, peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), or to distant lymph nodes. This is also called advanced bowel cancer, which is when the cancer starts to spread to another part of the body.

According to Bowel Cancer UK, bowel cancer can spread other parts of the body. This happens when parts of the tumour break away from the bowel and travel to other parts. While the tumour in the bowel is called the primary tumour, the tumour that is in a different part of the body is called a secondary tumour, or metastasis, explains the charity. The most common places for bowel cancer to spread are:

- the liver

- the lungs

- the peritoneum (a thin layer of tissue that covers the organs in your tummy (abdomen)).

According to Cancer.Net, if the cancer is diagnosed at a localized stage, the survival rate is a good 90%. If the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues, organs and/or the regional lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is about 73%. Lastly, if the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate goes down to only 17%.

Here are some of the risk factors associated with development of bowel cancer:

-Lack of physical activity

-Eating a diet low in fruit and vegetables

-Being overweight and obese

-Increased alcohol consumption

-Tobacco consumption

A colonoscopy, which looks at the length of the big bowel, is the most effective method of detecting bowel cancer. A flexible tube is placed into the anus and is used to pump air into the colon. Your doctor can check for abnormal tissue that is extracted for additional evaluation using a camera on the end of the tube.

The left side of the lower intestine and the rectum are inspected using flexible sigmoidoscopy. You might take out any atypical tissue to be examined more closely.

Here are some tips to lower your risk of bowel cancer:

-Maintain a healthy weight

-Get regular physical activity

-Eat less processed meat

-Drink less alcohol

-Eat wholegrains and dietary fiber

-Quit smoking

-Get screened for cancer regularly

It is difficult to cope with and fight a condition such as bowel cancer. The NHS UK shares some tips that might help you to cope better. These include:

-Talk to your friends and family for support

-Communicate with other people who are also going through/have gone through bowel cancer

-Find out as much as possible about your condition

-Do not overexert yourself

-Make time for yourself

The foods that we eat may raise or reduce our risk of cancer.

According to experts, foods rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals and dietary fibre can help lower the risk of developing cancer.

WebMD suggests having foods like dark green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, lettuce, kale, chicory, spinach, and chard have an abundance of fiber, folate, and carotenoids.

Apples, berries, cruciferous vegetables, carrots, legumes also help with cancer prevention.