A cancer specialist doctor has opened up about five symptoms you should keep an eye on, as they could be a sign of colon cancer.
The American Cancer Society’s estimates that in 2024, there were ‘about 106,590 new cases of colon cancer’.
Colon cancer is also considered the ‘second most common cause of cancer deaths’ in the US.
Cancer doctor and oncology fellow Dr Waqqas Tai has since taken to TikTok to share ‘five things you need to look out for if you think you have colon cancer’.
You can get a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer (Getty Stock Images/ PonyWang)
‘Pencil thin’ stools
If you’re going to the loo for a number too and what’s coming out the other end of you is thinner than a pen or pencil, the doctor explains this may be cause for concern.
“That might be a sign there is a tumor there compressing your colon causing the stool to come out thinner,” Dr Tai said.
Blood in your poo
There’s another sign to look out for when it comes to your number twos.
If you have a check back in the bowl before you flush and notice blood, then you should probably check in with your GP.
You may believe at first that it’s a haemorrhoid, which are swollen veins in your lower rectum which can lead to a bit of bleeding and are rarely dangerous.
However, Dr Tai strongly recommends to just go and get checked out.
There are several signs it’s good to keep an eye on (Getty Images/ Bymuratdeniz)
Low blood count
The third sign is to do with blood again, but moving away from your nether regions.
“If you’re anaemic on a complete blood count (CBC), for men, there is no healthy reason a man should be anaemic,” Dr Tai says.
And this is actually ‘the number one diagnosis’ he says doctors typically ‘look for’ when trying to figure out whether a patient could have colon cancer or not.
“Women, if you don’t have heavy periods, you also should not have a low hemoglobin,” he adds. “And so you also need a colonoscopy.”
It’s important to keep an eye on your bowel movements (Getty Stock Images/ Boonchai Wedmakawand)
Yo-yoing bowel movements
If your bowel movements are fluctuating between ‘severe’ diarrhoea to ‘severe’ constipation, then this could be a sign something’s up in your colon.
While it could be a sign of ‘any other gastrointestinal disorder’ when combined with any of the above symptoms, it’s still advisable to seek further medical advice and a colonoscopy.
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♬ original sound – Dr. Waqqas Tai | Cancer Doctor
Fevers, sweating and weight loss
Known as ‘B symptoms’, Dr Tai says if you’re still losing weight despite eating lots of food, you experience ‘spiking fevers randomly throughout the day’, and you wake up in the night with ‘soaking wet’ clothes and are so sweaty you have to ‘put a towel down’, then you should book an appointment in with your doctor.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
