HuffPost – With more and more young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, it’s natural to be nervous about the disease.
Rates of colorectal cancer in people under 50 have been increasing since the 1990s, according to Dr. Michael Cecchini, a co-director of the colorectal program at the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers and medical oncologist at Yale Cancer Center.
The exact reason why rates are increasing is unknown. Experts “think it’s something lifestyle and environmental, but exactly what that is, we don’t know,” Cecchini said.
Researchers are investigating what could be happening. In the meantime, it’s important that you stay alert about colorectal cancer ― even if you’re young.
Part of this is knowing the warning signs. And there’s one surprising symptom in particular that’s been gaining attention on social media: pencil-thin poop.
As one TikTok user explained on the platform, she noticed that her stools were thinner than normal, along with other red-flag symptoms like unexplained weight loss and diarrhea.
She thought that she had irritable bowel syndrome, so she didn’t go to the doctor at first. When she finally did, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.
Here’s what experts say about this particular issue:
Narrow stool can be a red flag.
Doctors will sometimes see patients whose “stools are much thinner, or they’re pencil in thickness and size, which is a description that some patients with colorectal cancer will have,” Cecchini said.
This tends to occur if tumors are present near the end of the colon or if they line the entire inside of the colon, which narrows whatever stool passes through, Cecchini explained.
Healthy stool should be long and sausage-shaped, according to Medical News Today, and come out as one piece or several smaller pieces. What’s most concerning is when thin stools are a new change that’s persistent …
