Colon Cancer

Dear Mr H,

My name is Carla and I’m one of the Cancer information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to the online community, I hope you find it supportive.

I am sorry that you are experiencing discomfort and a sharp stabbing pain below the area of your liver. I understand that you are worried this is related to a possible spread from colon cancer.

There are lots of different types of pain you could be experiencing. It is important to know that pain does not automatically mean that a cancer has progressed. A thorough pain assessment will allow your clinical team to offer guidance on possible causes / treatments.  

Here at Macmillan, we are independent of the NHS and do not have access to medical records, so we are unable to give personalised advice.

However, with any new, changing, or worsening symptoms it is important to contact your specialist cancer team, GP or NHS 111 so that you can be medically assessed and supported with managing these symptoms.

You may find it useful to record information in a pain diary. It will allow your healthcare team a better understanding of the pain and it can help them to manage the pain more effectively.

You may wish to browse some of our groups, such as the Bowel (Colon and Rectal) Cancer Forum in order to connect with other members and be able to access peer support and share experiences.

If you think it may be helpful to chat things over in more detail with one of the nurses here, please do give us a call. We can often explain things better over a spoken call with the opportunity to ask questions. 

I hope this helps to guide you. Don’t hesitate to come back if you need anything.

Best wishes,

Carla, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

Ref: CC/KG