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The bowel is part of the food digestive system. It connects the stomach to the anus, where waste materials (called a bowel motion or faeces) are passed out of the body. The function of the bowel is to finish digesting food by absorbing water and nutrients.
The bowel has three parts:
The colon and rectum together are known as the large bowel. Bowel cancer usually affects the large bowel. Cancer of the large bowel is also known as colorectal cancer. Cancer of the small bowel is rare.
Bowel cancer is a malignant growth that develops most commonly inside the large bowel. Most bowel cancers develop from tiny growths called 'polyps'. Polyps look like small spots on the bowel lining or like cherries on stalks. Not all polyps become cancerous. If polyps are removed, a person’s risk of developing bowel cancer is reduced.
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