Surgeon shares five warning signs of bowel cancer that you should never ignore
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
An expert has revealed the five signs of colon cancer you might experience, and shouldn’t brush off.
A lot of people find it uncomfortable to talk about their bowel habits to other people, but this taboo could end up costing someone their life.
When it comes to colon cancer, aka bowel cancer, The American Cancer Society reveals that 108,860 new cases of colon cancer have been detected in 2026 alone – and we’re only in March.
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While curable when caught early, it does require a person to recognize the signs of cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body.
Because this is when it becomes tricky to treat.
So, let’s get into what symptoms you shouldn’t ignore, which were revealed by Jeremy Clark, a consultant general surgeon at Nuffield Health in Brighton, UK.
Blood in your stool
Speaking with The Mirror, Clark revealed that ‘passing blood when you go to the toilet is a worrying feature that you should flag’ to your doctor, and that if you’re not sure what it looks like – the blood can look almost black in color and darkens as time passes.
“If you’re bleeding from the beginning of your colon, it has got to travel three or four feet before it comes out with your waste material, so it will turn very dark black,” he said.
However, ‘if you’re bleeding from something lower down in the bowel, closer to your bottom, it will come out bright red'.
He added: “If you see blood in the stools, particularly darker-colored blood or blood that’s actually mixed in with the stools, just once and it’s significant, that should be reported to your doctor straight away. Don’t wait for that to keep on happening.”
He went on to reveal that if this is something that happens for weeks at a time, you need to report it to a professional.
Changes in bowel habits
Are you suddenly blocked up? Or going more often? This could be a worry if it’s not how you usually operate each day.
According to Clark, ‘if your bowels go from working once a day like clockwork, and then suddenly you’re going two or three times a day and the bowels are a bit looser, that’s something that needs to be looked into.”
Of course, if this is something that settles on its own within a couple of days, then he said it should be nothing nefarious, but if it continues, then it’s best to get checked out.
Losing weight without trying
Losing weight can be a great thing for your health, but when it comes to cancer, it’s something that is an immediate red flag.
“Bowel cancers can cause you to lose weight by having an impact on how your digestion is working,” said Clark. “There’s a whole host of symptoms, but the problem is that they all cross over with other less serious problems, such as hemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so people often ignore or easily dismiss these symptoms.”
Colon cancer is typically found in those over 50 years old, or those with a family history, but recently, the under 30 group have been seeing it more and more as the years go by.
Pains
If you’re having persistent pains in your abdominal region, you need to be proactive in getting things checked out.
According to Clark: “Bowel cancers can cause abdominal pain. This tends to be a later feature, but it can occur early on, too.”
Bloating
Is your stomach rounding and bloating when nothing seems to be causing it?
Maybe it’s every time you eat, or perhaps you wake up and go to bed bloated. Whatever it is, speak to a doctor.
“People often feel quite bloated if there’s something wrong going on in the bowel,” revealed Clark.
So, if you think something is wrong – Clark says not to ‘sit’ on the symptoms. Get it looked at.
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.
Topics: Health, Colon cancer, Cancer
Britt Jones