Surprisingly, even though bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, the awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease is still "stubbornly low"!

According to the findings of a study funded by Cancer Research UK, few people know what to watch out for in so far as bowel cancer is concerned; and most people are unaware that lifestyle factors like diet, weight and exercise affect the cancer risk.

The study found that while nearly 25 percent people were unaware of any symptoms of bowel cancer; less than 10 percent could actually name anything about the cancer, other than changing bowel habits and blood in stools.

In fact, there was hardly any awareness of lumps in the abdomen and tiredness as the cancer’s symptoms – despite the fact that both these symptoms could indicate the presence of a cancer in the bowel.

The study – which involved over 1,500 people – has not only raised concerns about the lack of knowledge about bowel cancer symptoms, but has also called for a change in attitude so that survival rates can be improved.

Highlighting the need for “public health initiatives to increase awareness of risk factors” and lowering of cancer risk, Dr Emily Power – the lead author of the study – said: “Improving attitudes towards healthy behaviour can go some way towards reducing other diseases triggered by unhealthy lifestyles”!