I’m an oncologist and here are five symptoms that indicate you are suffering from colorectal cancer: They are very unknown in Spain.

He colon cancer It is the most common tumor among the Spanish population, second only to genital tumors. They were diagnosed in 2023 40,203 new cases of colorectal cancer. Of these, 24,385 were identified in men – only after prostate cancer – and 15,818 in women after breast cancer – surpassed only by breast cancer.

The other side of the coin, according to the Spanish Digestive Foundation, is the cure rate that reaches 90% of cases with early detection. Considering that the chance of survival can be increased sixfold with early detection, it is very important to know the gastrointestinal symptoms that can reveal the presence of this tumor.

However, despite their high prevalence, these signs usually go unnoticed at the social level in Spain, in contrast to awareness of the prevention of other types of cancer. The problem is similar in other developed societies, where it is one of the leading causes of disease-related mortality. In addition, oncologists are sounding the alarm as they encounter increasingly younger patients.

This is an oncologist’s warning Vakkas Thaicolorectal cancer specialist from Brooklyn, New York. According to the doctor, in the USA they diagnose 150,000 cases annually tumors colon and rectum. “Please contact your healthcare provider and ask for a routine colonoscopy“, urges. “They are very easy to do and they can save your life.” In addition, it gives five signs that we should pay attention to in our daily lives.

1) Thin chair: If our poop is “thin as a paintbrush,” according to Ty, that’s a “worrying symptom.” This may mean that there is a tumor in or near the rectum that is blocking transit and putting pressure on it, causing the stool to look like this.

2) Blood in the stool: “That’s never a good sign,” Ty snaps. “You can’t just blame hemorrhoids for this, you need to go to the doctor.” Besides the presence of a tumor, there are many reasons that can cause colorectal bleeding, and these range from a fissure or polyp to an inflammatory disease such as Crohn’s disease. In any case, immediate medical examination is required.

3) Anemia: A lack of iron in the blood can recur for many reasons, but these symptoms accompany from 30 to 75% of cases of colorectal cancer, the specialist warns. “This is the first thing we look at to make a diagnosis. A healthy man does not necessarily have to be anemic, and neither does a woman if she does not have heavy periods,” he says.

4) Severe constipation and diarrhea: Although both can occur due to other diseases or even changes in lifestyle and consumption habits, the fact of alternating one and the other is a sign of an intestinal disorder. Therefore, it is extremely important to undergo a colonoscopy to exclude the presence of a tumor, the expert warns.

5) Thinness, fever and night sweats: These are non-specific symptoms, but when added to the others on the list, they are a pretty clear indication of the presence of a tumor. “We call them ‘B symptoms,’” Ty says. “If you eat but continue to lose weight, if you have occasional fevers during the day, if you wake up sweating at night, these are all clear signs of possible cancer.”