A colorectal cancer expert has warned that thousands could be suffering a little-known symptom of the deadly disease that few people know about.

Tenesmus – constantly feeling an urge to open your bowels – affect around 2000 people who have bowel cancer every year, according to Dr Alasdair Scott, colorectal surgeon and gut health researcher.

‘It’s a fancy word for feeling like you need to open your bowels even though you’ve only just been,’ he said. 

‘A constant feeling like there’s something there – and it’s a reason to see your doctor.’

Dr Scott has urged those who suffer this problem to visit their GP – especially the under 50s.

‘The rates of bowel cancer are rising in the under 50s and I strongly recommend that you do not wait until you’re invited to the bowel cancer screening programme in your mid-50s before you start screening,’ said Dr Scott, who is Science Director at medical testing firm Selph. 

‘Follow the lead of countries like the USA and Japan where they start bowel cancer screening in their 40s and have much better bowel cancer survival than we do in the UK.’

Dr Scott’s warning comes amid an epidemic of the disease in young people across the globe.

If you have a 'constant feeling something is there', it's time to see your GP, according to colorectal surgeon Dr Scott

If you have a ‘constant feeling something is there’, it’s time to see your GP, according to colorectal surgeon Dr Scott

Between the early 1990s and 2018, the number of adults aged 25 to 49 being diagnosed with bowel cancer has risen 22 per cent in the UK – a rise that’s among the fastest of all high income countries. 

Experts are not yet entirely sure what’s causing this increase, but some have suggested it may be due to a combination of changing diets and exposure to environmental factors like pollution. 

Dr Scott warned that more than half of people with bowel cancer are diagnosed at late stages, when the disease has started to spread and it’s ‘much harder’ to cure.

This is because far too many patients wait until ‘it’s too late’ to seek help, he said. 

According to a recent survey, a third of people in the UK don’t know what the signs of the disease are. 

The YouGov poll found 80 per cent of didn’t know to watch out for a change in bowel habits like tenesmus, while almost 90 per cent were unaware that bleeding from the bottom is a telltale sign.  

‘As with most types of cancer, the earlier you pick up bowel cancer the better your chances of beating it,’ said Dr Scott.

‘Knowing the main bowel cancer symptoms to watch out for is crucial so you can get tested and bring them to the attention of your GP as quickly as possible.’

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 Other signs he flagged include a change of frequency of bowel habits, as well as consistency of the stool.

‘If you’re a regular-as-clockwork once-a-day person and you notice that your stools have become looser and you’re going two or three times a day, this is a change in bowel habit,’ he said.

‘If you have a change in bowel habit and it’s been going on for 2 or 3 weeks, then you should get this checked out with your doctor.

‘Most often bowel cancer causes looser, more frequent stools but it can also push people towards constipation.’

Seeing mucus in your stool also counts as a change too, he said. 

Noticing blood in the stool or on the tissue after wiping is a sign of bowel cancer that’s most publicised. 

‘But bleeding from the bottom is actually really common and most of the time it’s not bowel cancer,’ he said. 

‘Bleeding from a bowel cancer is often a dark red, painless and mixed in with the stool. 

Perhaps one of the best known young bowel cancer patients, diagnosed with the illness at 35. She died in 2022 aged 40. Some £11million has since been raised as part of her charity

Perhaps one of the best known young bowel cancer patients, diagnosed with the illness at 35. She died in 2022 aged 40. Some £11million has since been raised as part of her charity

 ‘About 60% of people with symptoms from bowel cancer experience rectal bleeding.’

He also highlighted ‘stomach pain that doesn’t go away after a week’.

‘The vast majority of the time stomach pain is not caused by bowel cancer.

‘It might be irritable bowel syndrome or it might be a problem like gallstones or gastritis. But these are still worth finding out about.

‘Half of patients with bowel cancer symptoms have stomach pain.’

Finally, get checked out if you start ‘losing weight without trying’. ‘ Sometimes you might not even notice this yourself if you don’t weigh yourself frequently,’ he said. 

‘So, if friends or family members start commenting about how you’ve lost weight or if you notice that your clothes are a bit baggy or you’re doing up your belt an extra notch, take notice and see your doctor. 

‘Of all the symptoms of bowel cancer, this is the subtlest and goes the longest without being picked up.’

Multiple heartbreaking stories of young people in the prime of their lives being diagnosed with bowel cancer have emerged in recent years.

Perhaps the most recognisable victim of the trend is Deborah James — known as ‘bowel babe’ — who was diagnosed at just 35 and raised millions for charity in her final days in 2022.

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