Around 2,400 men and women are newly diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in Ireland, yet many people still find the disease very embarrassing to talk about, the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has said.

It has revealed that more people view the bowel cancer section on the ICS website than any other section. Last year alone, there were almost 80,000 visits to the bowel cancer information pages of the site.

"The total number of visitors to the signs and symptoms page for bowel cancer was over three times the number of visitors to the prostate cancer pages (25,000) and four times the number of visitors to the breast cancer pages (20,000) in the same time period," the ICS noted.

The highest number of visitors were from the 25-34 age group (26%), followed by the 35-44 age group (25%). Almost three in four visitors were female and some of the top key words used to look up the page included bowel cancer symptoms, colon cancer symptoms and bleeding anus.

"Bowel cancer is a cancer that affects both men and women but there still remains a high embarrassment factor that people feel when discussing the signs and symptoms. The fact that it is the most visited section of our website bears this out. Some people feel awkward mentioning symptoms to family, friends and even their GP, so they look elsewhere for their information and support," explained ICS nursing services manager, Joan Kelly.

She pointed out that if people are embarrassed or reluctant to seek help, this could lead to a delay in diagnosis.

"Bowel cancer is extremely treatable once it's caught early, however we are still seeing almost 50% of bowel cancers diagnosed at stage three and four when more complex treatments are required. As a result, bowel cancer mortality rates remain steady since 2006 at 40%," Ms Kelly commented.

Bowel cancer causes around 1,000 deaths in Ireland annually.

The ICS wants to make people aware that they can reduce their risk of bowel cancer by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For example, adults who exercise more and consume a healthy diet can reduce their risk of the disease by up to 40%.

The ICS is also urging people to take part in the bowel cancer screening programme, BowelScreen, if invited. This is currently aimed at adults aged 60-69.

Finally, the ICS is appealing to people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and to attend a doctor if they notice any of these.

"We are urging people to spot bowel cancer early and be aware of the early warning signs, and if they have any concerns, call 1800 200 700 to speak to a cancer nurse or speak to their GP," Ms Kelly added.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include:

-Pain or discomfort in your abdomen or back passage
-A change in your normal bowel motion, such as constipation or diarrhoea
-A feeling that you have not emptied your bowel fully after a motion
-Weight loss
-Rectal bleeding or blood in the stools