A physician has highlighted four common symptoms that people often dismiss, but that could be symptoms of bowel cancer.
Bowel cancer, which is cancer that can be found anywhere in the large bowel including the colon and rectum, is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK.
According to Cancer Research UK, there are 44,063 new cases of bowel cancer in the UK every year. Out of these, 16,808 people die from bowel cancer every year, meaning there’s a 53% survival rate among patients in England.
Even though it’s one of the most common types of cancers, people often don’t know what to look for in order to catch any possible tumours early.
To help people catch any symptoms early, ER doctor, Dr Joe Whittington, known to his online community as Dr Joe MD, has taken to TikTok to share four common symptoms of colon cancer that people often don’t realise could be cancer.
“Four colon cancer symptoms that people often dismiss,” he said before going into his list. You should keep the red flags in mind next time you go to the tiolet.
1. Pencil thin stools
“Notice your stools are unusually thin? This could be a sign a mass in the colon due to cancer. It’s not just about the size, shape matters too,” he explained.
According to Cancer Research UK, a change in your normal bowel habit, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation is a common symptom of bowel cancer, along with constipation and being unable to pass wind.
2. Feeling of incomplete emptying
Dr Joe explained that feeling like you haven’t completely emptied your bowels could be another sign of colon cancer, adding: “That feeling can be subtle but a significant sign of colon cancer as it can mimic the feeling of constipation.”
A bowel obstruction, such as constipation, is an emergency, according to Cancer Research UK, who urges people to see their doctor quickly or go to A&E at your nearest hospital if you think you have a bowel obstruction.
3. Back pain
While most common signs of bowel cancer has to do with your bowel habits, back pain can also indicate that something is wrong.
In some instances, a tumour could be the reason behind the pain. Back pain can occur when you’re doing everyday things like sitting on the toilet – so be sure to be mindful.
Dr Joe explained: “[The back pain] happens when a tumour in the colon presses on surrounding tissue and nerves or if cancer spreads to the spine or pelvis.”
4. Blood in stool
For the last symptom on his list, Dr Joe said that finding any trace of blood in your stool could be a sign of cancer. “There are a lot of causes for blood in the stool but with cancer, it could indicate tumours that are bleeding as they grow,” he said.
According to the NHS, blood in your stool can show up as either red or black. If you experience this, you should contact your GP for an urgent appointment.
The video adds: “Clearly, these symptoms can be other things and not cancers, and sometimes nothing at all. But if they’re persistent, make sure you talk to your doctor about getting a screening colonoscopy.”
What does the NHS say about bowel cancer?
According to the NHS, the most common symptoms of bowel cancer include changes in your poo, changing in toilet habits, bleeding from your bottom or a bloody poo, as well as bloating, a lump in your tummy, tummy pains, losing weight without trying, and feeling very tired for no reason.
They urge you to contact your GP if you experience any of these symptoms consistently for more than three weeks. However, if you find that your poo is black or red, or that you have a bloody diarrhoea, you should get an urgent GP appointment.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you’re bleeding non-stop from your bottom o9r if there’s a lot of blood, for example, the toilet water turns red or you see large blood clots.