Most of us have had a few rough days with the stomach and put it down to something we ate. The urge comes and goes, and we move on. But some signals your bowel sends are worth a second look.
One of them is the odd feeling that you still need to go, even moments after you just have. The NHS lists that persistent sensation as a symptom of bowel cancer. Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support flag the same sign.
Bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer, is one of the most common cancers in adults. Many of its early signs look like everyday stomach trouble, hemorrhoids or stress, which is why they get missed.
The sign most people mistake for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Doctors call it tenesmus, meaning the lingering urge to go when there is nothing left to pass. A growth in the bowel or rectum can press on the gut, so your body keeps sending the "go" signal.
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Cancer Research UK describes it as a feeling of needing to strain in the back passage, even after opening your bowels. The sensation can come and go. It is often brushed off as a flare of irritable bowel syndrome.
The full list of 8 warning signs
The main cancer authorities broadly agree on these signs. Any one of them can have far more common causes, but a mix that lasts for a few weeks is worth checking.
- Feeling you still need to go, even after you just have. The tenesmus sign described above.
- Blood in or on your stool, or bleeding from the bottom. It may look bright red, or very dark and almost black.
- A lasting change in your bowel habits. Looser stools, going more often, or new constipation that does not settle.
- Belly pain or cramping. A new or ongoing ache in the tummy or back passage.
- Losing weight without trying. Unexplained weight loss over weeks or months.
- Feeling very tired or short of breath. Both can be signs of anemia from slow blood loss in the gut.
- A lump in your tummy. Something a doctor can sometimes feel on examination.
- Bloating that does not pass. Especially when it shows up with any of the signs above.
When to speak to your doctor
Having any one of these does not mean you have cancer. Hemorrhoids, infections, IBS and food intolerances cause many of them.
Macmillan Cancer Support advises seeing a doctor if a change in your bowel habit lasts longer than three weeks, or if you notice blood at any point.
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Spotting bowel cancer early gives doctors more treatment options. In the United States, routine colorectal cancer screening now starts at age 45 for people at average risk.
Anyone with a close family history, or persistent symptoms at any age, should ask a doctor about starting sooner.
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This article is made and published by Aksel Kryhlmand, who may have used AI in the preparation.