What is the risk of advanced bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer is reportedly the third most diagnosed cancer in the world. More than 1.9 million new cases of bowel cancer were reported in 2020. Just like any other cancer, bowel cancer occurs when the cells that line the large bowel, or colon or the rectum, grow abnormally and out of control, which is why, depending on where the cancer starts, it is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer.
Can bowel cancer spread to other parts of the body?
Bowel cancer can be life-threatening if not detected and treated early and on time. There’s a likelihood that it may spread to other parts of the body including the liver, the lungs, brain, peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), or to distant lymph nodes. This is also called advanced bowel cancer, which is when the cancer starts to spread to another part of the body.
What happens when bowel cancer spreads to the bones?
While rare, bowel cancer can also spread to the bone. This is known as bone metastasis. It occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor and spread to the bones, where they begin to multiply, explains the Mayo Clinic.
According to the Cancer Research UK, cancer that spreads to the bones causes hypercalcaemia, which means that there is too much calcium in the blood. Experts believe it is the most common life-threatening complication of cancer in adults and is said to develop in 0% to 20% of adults with cancer.
