Cancer: Six warning signs a tumour in the bowel has spread to the bones

Lorraine: Charlene White opens up on losing her mum to cancer

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Before the disease progressed, there might have been signs of bowel cancer you didn’t get checked out, such as pooping more often or suffering from constipation. What else might you have missed? Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, news presenter Charlene White candidly spoke about losing her mum to bowel cancer. Her mum, Dorrett, was 43 at the time when she lost her fight against the disease.

Raising awareness of ITV’s No Butts campaign, Charlene said: “The reality is, you know your body.”

“Make sure you check before you flush,” Charlene urged, highlighting the five early warning signs of bowel cancer.

It’s only you that knows if your bowel habits have changed, and you need to “take responsibility” for your own health.

As a little girl, Charlene would do her homework next to her mum who was in a hospital bed – it was her everyday “normal”.

“I don’t know what it’s like to have a normal childhood,” Charlene disclosed.

Hoping that the No Butts campaign will help prevent others from experiencing the heartbreaking loss that she did, Charlene urged people to “keep an eye on your body”.

Going to the doctor’s as soon as you notice any warning signs of bowel cancer is so, so important.

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“The reality is… you could lose your life [if you don’t],” said Charlene.

And not only that, a whole family could lose a loved one, just like she did.

Cancer Research UK warned that bowel cancer might cause “an ache or pain” in a bone where the tumour has spread.

The weakened bone may be “more prone to break or fracture” too, and bones damaged by advanced cancer can lead to hypercalcaemia.

Hypercalcaemia is when damaged bones release calcium into the bloodstream.

This can lead to various symptoms, such as:

• Tiredness
• Feeling sick (nausea)
• Constipation
• Irritability
• Thirst
• Confusion

If bowel cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, they will harden and swell.

“Cancer cells can also stop lymph fluid from draining away,” said Cancer Research UK.

“This might lead to swelling in the neck or face due to fluid build-up in that area.”

Should bowel cancer spread to the lungs, you might experience:

• A cough that doesn’t go away (often worse at night)
• Breathlessness
• Ongoing chest infections
• Coughing up blood
• A build-up of fluid between the chest wall and the lung (a pleural effusion)

In addition, if bowel cancer has spread to the liver, you might feel:

Discomfort or pain on the right side of your abdomen

• Sick
• And you could have:
• A poor appetite and weight loss
• Swollen abdomen (called ascites)
• Yellowing of the skin (jaundice)
• Itchy skin

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