Colorectal cancer certainly stands out among the most common neoplasms.
A sad record that it shares with other types of cancer such as breast, lung and prostate cancer.
The greatest incidence is among people aged between 60 and 75, with no particular distinctions between men and women.
What is worrying, however, is the progressive lowering of the age of those affected, even well beyond the risk range generally considered.
We assessed the need for early screening and the different risk factors in a previous in-depth article of some studies.
According to these, some people seem to increase the risk of developing colon cancer earlier than others.
However, what is most important to address here is the often subtle symptoms of this particular type of cancer.
This often overlooked common problem could be an early symptom of colorectal cancer
Unfortunately, colon cancer is a silent enemy, with symptoms that remain silent and under trace for a long time.
The best thing would be to identify, not so simple, any rectal polyps.
In fact, they too do not give particular symptoms, if not possibly a bleeding, which however could easily be attributed to a small lesion.
Similarly, there are other early symptoms which, however, could be mistaken for ailments of another nature, such as fatigue and excessive and sudden weight loss.
Among these secondary problems, but not to be underestimated, there is one that afflicts many people and that, if continued over time, it is good to investigate.
Let’s see what it is.
Here’s what to look out for and how to act
We are talking about constipation.
In fact, this often overlooked common problem could be an early symptom of colorectal cancer, especially if it alternates with bouts of diarrhea.
In most cases it is certainly a benign manifestation without particular consequences and which could have various causes.
These include, for example, a poor diet, a food intolerance or an alteration of the bacterial flora.
However, it is important not to leave anything to chance.
Especially in conjunction with other disorders and if we have a previous family history of colon polyps or cancers.
As we have said, the average age of those affected has dropped significantly, which is why it is important to focus everything on prevention.
In particular, it is good to start as soon as possible to undergo periodic screening, carried out above all by colonoscopy, the most reliable examination in this case.
It takes very little to avert a terrible but fortunately increasingly treatable evil.
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