Strong increase in those under 50, colorectal cancer worries specialists. While the best known signs such as blood in stool, unexplained weight loss or abdominal pains are starting to be identified by the general public, a surgeon warns against a discreet but revealing symptom: tenesme, this persistent feeling of having to go to the saddle, even just after going to the toilet.
Tenesme, a discreet sign of colorectal cancer
In an article of Daily MailDr. Alasdair Scott, colorectal surgeon and digestive health researcher, explained that the tenesme results in a tension felt before or after evacuation. “”It is a sophisticated word to say that you feel like you have to go to the toilet as you come back“, He said. Many people attribute this feeling to a simple intestinal disorder, but it can actually be an early sign of colorectal cancer.
Dr. Jeffrey Dueker, gastroenterologist at the University of Pittsburgh, also stresses that any persistent change in intestinal habits-whether it be the frequency, consistency or blood presence-should encourage quickly.
In addition to tenesm, some experts evoke other rarer signs, such as the slimming of the stool. This can occur when tumors at the end of the colon or lining its walls reduce the passage. These details, sometimes ignored, can however allow an earlier diagnosis.
Increasingly frequent cancers in young adults
If doctors insist on these less known symptoms, it is because cases explode in young adults. According to figures noted, the incidence has increased by 50 % in three decades in Western countries for those under 50, while the disease remains stable or declining in the older ones. In the Wall Street JournalDr. Kimmie NG of Dana-Farber Institute already alerted in January 2024: “If we do not understand what it is now, there will be another whole generation that will have to face this“.
For the time being, no specific explanation has been found. Dr. Lucas Spindler, gastroenterologist, recalls that “Of course, there are known risk factors, such as food -rich diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, delicatessen consumption or genetic causes, but that cannot explain everything“. Some researchers point to the consumption of ultra-transformed food, such as Dr. Joe O’Sullivan, oncologist and professor at Queen’s University in Belfast, who evokes their possible role in the increase in cases.
Colorectal screening: when and how to be tested
Even if most cases still concern people over 50, doctors insist on vigilance in the event of persistent symptoms. Dr Scott recalls: “If you notice these signs for more than two or three weeks, you must consult“. He also alerts to the fact that”Too many people are waiting for it to be too late to consult“.
In France, colorectal screening is offered every two years to people aged 50 to 74, without symptoms or family history. The kit can be obtained from the attending physician, in pharmacies or directly online via the JefaismondPistage.cancer.fr site. The simple and hygienic test consists in taking a sample of stools and sending it by mail. In the event of a positive result, a colonoscopy is prescribed in order to seek the possible presence of precancerous polyps, which can be removed before they evolve in cancer.
Specialists finally recall that certain symptoms must push to consult without delay, even before the age of organized screening:
- A persistent change in intestinal habits: constipation, diarrhea, tenesme, fine stools like a pencil;
- Blood in the stool, often dark and painless red;
- The presence of mucus in the stool;
- Abdominal pains that persist for more than a week;
- Involuntary and unexplained weight loss.