Colon cancer: how to recognize symptoms and signs in stool

British BBC presenter Deborah James, who died of colon cancer at age 40 last month, constantly repeated a tip in her campaign to raise awareness of the disease: check your stool.

Last weekend, another fatal case of this type of cancer made headlines, this time in Brazil. Producer and businesswoman Patricia Perissinotto, wife of musician Andreas Kisser, of the band Sepultura, has died at the age of 52.

Below, we’ve answered top questions about one of the most common types of cancer.

How can I detect colon cancer?

There are three main things to check:

• Blood in the stool for no apparent reason — it can be a light or dark red;
• Changes in defecation time—such as going to the bathroom more often or changes in the stool itself (softer or harder);
• Belly pain or bloating, with a feeling of a full and hard belly.

Other symptoms include:

• Weight loss;
• Not feeling like the bowel has been emptied after going to the bathroom;
• Feeling tired and dizzy.

These symptoms do not necessarily mean that the person has colon cancer. But a medical consultation is recommended, especially if they last longer than three weeks.

This means symptoms can be checked quickly. The earlier cancers are diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

Sometimes colon cancer can prevent waste from passing through the intestine, and this can cause a blockage, causing severe stomach pain, constipation, and feeling sick. In such cases, it is urgent to see a doctor or go to the nearest emergency room.

The Ministry of Health has more information about bowel cancers here.

How do I check my stools?

Take a good look at the stool and don’t be shy about talking about it.

You should be on the lookout for signs of blood in the stool and also for bleeding in the anus area.

Light red blood can be a result of swollen blood vessels, but it can also be caused by colon cancer.

Dark red or black blood can come from the intestines or stomach, which can also be concerning.

You may also be noticing changes in bowel habits, such as looser stools or the need to defecate more often than usual.

Or you may feel like you’re not emptying your bowels completely, or that you’re not going to the bathroom often enough.

The British organization Bowel Cancer UK recommends that patients keep a symptom diary before visiting the doctor, so that nothing is forgotten during the consultation.

Doctors are used to seeing people with a wide variety of bowel problems, so let them know about any changes or bleeding so they can investigate the cause.

What causes colon cancer?

No one knows exactly what causes the condition, but some factors can increase the risks:

• Age plays an important role — most cases occur in adults over 50, as with other types of cancer as well;
• Those on a diet with a lot of red meat or processed meat, such as sausages, bacon and salami;
• Smoke;
• Drinking alcohol to excess;
• Being overweight or obese;
• Having a history of intestinal polyps, which can develop into tumors.

Is it hereditary?

In most cases, bowel cancer is not hereditary, but you should tell your GP if you had any close relatives diagnosed before age 50.

Some genetic conditions, such as Lynch syndrome, put people at a much higher risk of developing colon cancer — but they can be prevented if doctors know about the disease ahead of time.

How to reduce risks?

More than half of intestinal cancers can be prevented by people who follow a healthier lifestyle, scientists say.

That means exercising, eating more fiber and less fat, and drinking about six to eight glasses of water a day.

And also consult with a doctor whenever there are any worrisome symptoms, and perform MRIs, when they are requested.

How is colon cancer diagnosed?

Detection can be done through a colonoscopy — a procedure that uses a camera inside a long tube to look inside the entire intestine — or a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which examines part of it.

More than 90% of people diagnosed with colon cancer in its early stages survive for five years or more — compared with 44% when diagnosed at the later stage.

In the UK, the odds of survival have more than doubled in the last 40 years. More than half of patients survive for ten years or more, compared to one in five in the 1970s.

Like many types of cancer, people aged 15 to 40 have the highest survival rates because cancer is more common and more fatal in older people.

What treatments are available?

Colon cancer is curable, especially if caught early.

Treatments are becoming more personalized. Advanced genetic testing allows treatment to be tailored to each person, according to their body’s response to the disease.

This approach still needs improvement, but it could increase patients’ life expectancy.

Each stage of the disease may require different treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

What are the different stages of cancer?

• Stage 1 cancer: It is small but has not spread.
• Stage 2 cancer: It is larger but has not yet spread.
• Stage 3 cancer: has spread to some of the surrounding tissues, such as lymph nodes;
• Stage 4 cancer: Has spread to another organ in the body, creating a secondary tumor.

Text originally published here.