NORTH-EAST men are being urged to visit their doctor if they experience bowel problems after a survey revealed almost half would hesitate to make an appointment.
The survey, commissioned as part of Bowel Cancer UK’s Spotlight on Men campaign, revealed that 41 per cent of men in the North-East would be deterred from visiting their doctor if they suspected a bowel-related illness.
The majority, 21 per cent, said they would be worried about wasting the doctor’s time, and other reasons included being too embarrassed and finding it difficult to make time for an appointment.
In addition, a quarter of all men surveyed could not describe two symptoms of bowel cancer, despite it being the third most common cancer in men.
Rates of bowel cancer in men have gone up 30 per cent in the past 35 years and Deborah Alsina, CEO, Bowel Cancer UK said: “It is vital that men don’t put off going to the doctor despite being worried.
“Early diagnosis is crucial to surviving bowel cancer.”
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