A ground-breaking medical procedure has marked a significant advancement in the treatment of bowel cancer. The UK's first-ever liver transplant to treat advanced bowel cancer has been hailed as a success.

Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old from , no longer shows any signs of the lethal disease following the transplant combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. This achievement is monumental, considering bowel cancer is one of the most fatal cancers, as per .

Every year, an estimated 44,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with this disease, with over 2,600 being under the age of 50. However, some early warning signs of bowel cancer can be mistaken for physical changes many anticipate in the new year as they modify their lifestyle to meet their 2025 goals.

Symptoms like weight loss, bowel changes, and extreme fatigue are common indicators of this potentially deadly disease that many people may dismiss. Weight loss, specifically when not trying or without significant lifestyle changes to justify it, is often a sign of cancer and other serious health conditions.

It can sometimes be due to a reduced appetite because of the undiagnosed illness, but people may lose weight without altering their diet due to a condition known as cachexia. It's often referred to as Wasting Syndrome, is a condition frequently seen in individuals with lung or bowel cancer.

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Cachexia remains largely a mystery to the scientific community because it involves so many of the body's processes and organs. This syndrome changes how a person's body metabolises, absorbs, and utilises food, leading to loss of muscle and fat, which can result in weakness and fatigue.

Other early indicators of bowel cancer encompass changes in toilet habits, such as diarrhoea, constipation, and variations in frequency. It's crucial to remember that these specific symptoms may fluctuate over time.

Additional toilet-related signs include the presence of blood in your stool, which could be red or black, rectal bleeding, and feeling the urge to defecate even after just using the toilet. Abdominal pains or lumps, bloating, and unexplained extreme tiredness are also significant warning signals.

The advises scheduling an appointment with your GP if you've experienced any bowel cancer symptoms for three weeks or more, adding: "Try not to be embarrassed. The doctor or nurse will be used to talking about these symptoms."