You bowel cancer symptoms and other oncological diseases are increasingly arousing people’s curiosity. After all, conditions of this nature often pose serious health risks. However, the most efficient method of avoiding complications is through prevention and early diagnosis.
Bowel cancer symptoms
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Understand bowel cancer
Digestive system surgeon and coloproctology specialist, Dr. Rodrigo Barbosa, explains that bowel cancer affects the large intestine or rectum. According to the doctor, people with a family history of the tumor, those with unhealthy lifestyle habits and men and women over 45 are more prone to the disease.
Prevention
To keep this type of tumor at bay, the doctor recommends avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol, practicing physical activity, eating a diet rich in fiber and avoiding ultra-processed foods and sugars. Furthermore, it is important to screen for diseases even without symptoms.
Early diagnosis
According to the Ministry of Health, early diagnosis can be made through investigation with clinical, laboratory, endoscopic or radiological examinations of people with signs and symptoms suggestive of the disease. In addition, people without signs or symptoms, but belonging to risk groups, should also undergo tests to screen for the tumor.
Screening for colon and rectum (colorectal) tumors can be carried out through two main tests: testing for occult blood in feces and endoscopies (colonoscopy or rectosigmoidoscopies).
Symptoms of bowel cancer
Also according to the Ministry of Health, the signs that commonly indicate bowel cancer are:
- Bleeding in the stool;
- Abdominal mass (tumor);
- Abdominal pain;
- Change in intestinal habit.
Dr. Rodrigo emphasizes that, when noticing any of these symptoms, it is necessary to seek medical help immediately. When diagnosed early, there is up to a 95% chance of cure.
