Mr Small credits their "marvellous" GP, Dr Paul Bennett, for pressing their case. Their age — they are both in their seventies — and symptoms made the GP suspect the cause was bowel cancer. He said doctors took iron deficiency seriously as a symptom of cancer. "Iron deficiency anaemia is included in these criteria because it is associated with occult bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract. "However, compared to rectal bleeding with iron deficiency or a palpable tumour, iron deficiency anaemia in isolation is less specific for bowel cancer so is a non-urgent indication.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 11, 2018 16:29 UTC