A surgeon has issued warning signs to generation Z that newer cases of colorectal or colon cancer are mostly diagnosed among younger people as opposed to earlier statistics when those above 50 years were mostly at risk.

According to Dr. Mark Soliman, it is imperative that youngsters get a basic test to avoid a future cancer battle and let go of embarrassment around talking about bowel movements and bad diets. The physician says more 20-something-year-olds have been diagnosed with this 100 per cent preventable disease.

Colon cancer starts in your large intestine—the long tube that helps carry digested food to your rectum and out of your body, developing from certain polyps or growths in the inner lining. Experts say this cancer, if detected in the early stages, can be completely cured. Smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol are the main risk factors, especially among youngsters for colon cancer.

According to Dr. Soliman, young people must get a basic stool test, leaving behind shame and stigma. “Patients getting diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer are getting younger and younger,” said Mark, who recently launched his app that acts like a social media platform for surgeons to share skills and advice with each other.

“I’m seeing patients in their mid-20s with aggressive cancer,” Dr. Soliman added.

Dr. Soliman says most youngsters today live sedentary lifestyles, exercise less, eat high-processed food diets, and do not get enough fibre. “It’s not that far of a stretch to link these issues together with the rise in colon cancer among younger patients,” he said.

While many people will ask for symptoms to look out for, the surgeon reveals that it is often too late once you start noticing them. “The symptoms for colon cancer, unfortunately, are late,” he said. “Those can be changes in bowel habits, whether it’s in the feeling of increasing constipation, a change in the diameter of the stool, or rectal bleeding.

“Sometimes intense rectal pressure can be kind of a late-stage sign of rectal cancer, but these are all very vague. That’s why it’s so important to get screening exams like colonoscopy or some of the DNA tests or stool tests that we can get,” he added. According to Dr. Solimon, apart from blood in your stool and constipation, a few other symptoms you must note and take care of immediately include:

If you feel as if you still need to poop after going to the bathroom, you must talk to your doctor about it.

If you have chronic pain in your abdomen that does not go away or hurts a lot, it is time to get a proper check-up done

There are many things that may make you feel bloated. And if your bloated belly lasts for more than a week, gets worse or you have other symptoms like vomiting or blood in or on your poop, go to the hospital immediately

Unexplained weight loss

It is a noticeable drop in your body weight when you’re not trying to lose weight.

If you have been vomiting periodically for no known reason, it can be a reason to worry.

These are symptoms of anemia, a sign of colon cancer.

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