Incontinence after bowel cancer treatment

Incontinence is when a person is not able to control their bowel or bladder. It may be caused by different treatments for bowel cancer.

Learn more about:

• Faecal incontinence
• Urinary incontinence
• Ways to manage incontinence

Faecal incontinence

After surgery or radiation therapy, the movement of waste through the large bowel can become faster. You may feel that you can’t wait when you need to go to the toilet (urgency), you need to go more often, or you have less control over bowel movements. Bowel surgery or radiation therapy may weaken the anus, making it difficult to hold on when you feel the need to empty your bowels, particularly if you have loose bowel movements (diarrhoea).

Urinary incontinence

This is when urine (wee or pee) leaks from your bladder without you being able to control it.

Bladder control may change after surgery or radiation therapy. For example, radiation therapy can irritate the lining of your bladder, because the bladder is located near the large bowel. Some people find they need to urinate more often, need to go in a hurry or don’t fully empty the bladder.

While you may feel embarrassed if you have bowel or bladder changes, there are ways to manage the symptoms. Incontinence usually improves in a few months, but sometimes take years. Talk to your treatment team about whether any bowel or bladder changes are likely to be permanent.

→ READ MORE: Diarrhoea and wind