The bowel
The bowel is part of your digestive system. It’s made up of the small bowel (small intestine) and the large bowel. The large bowel is made up of the colon and rectum.
The small bowel absorbs nutrients from food for the body to use. The undigested waste then moves into the colon, which absorbs water from it. The remaining waste (poo) is held in the rectum until you’re ready to go to the toilet.
The small bowel is longer than the large bowel. It’s called the small bowel because it’s much narrower than the large bowel.
Cancer that affects the large bowel is called bowel cancer. You may also hear it called colorectal cancer, colon cancer or rectum cancer, depending on where it’s found.
Cancer that affects the small bowel is called small bowel cancer. For information and support about small bowel cancer, please visit Macmillan or Cancer Research UK’s website.
More information
Read our booklet, Simple steps for good bowel health, for information on keeping your bowel healthy.
Page reviewed August 2024
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