REGULARLY passing “pencil poos” could be a sign you’re suffering from bowel cancer, experts warn.
Narrow stools are a rare but “highly concerning” symptom of the deadly disease, they say.
Pencil poos could be a sign of bowel cancer, experts warn. The Bristol Stool Scale shows seven other stool shapes and what they might mean
People with bowel cancer sometimes come into clinics saying they’ve noticed a change to their normal toilet routine, according to Dr Michael Cecchini, of Yale University.
He told HuffPost: “Stools are much thinner, or they’re pencil in thickness and size, which is a description that some patients with colorectal cancer will have.
“When it exists, it is highly concerning. It’s just not one of the more common symptoms of the disease.”
Bowel cancer is now the third most common cancer in Britain, with 41,596 Brits diagnosed in 2021.
It is the UK’s second deadliest cancer, claiming 16,000 lives each year.
However, nine in 10 patients survives it if diagnosed at the earliest stage, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
The Sun’s No Time 2 Lose campaign, spearheaded by Dame Deborah James, has called for earlier testing and treatments to improve survival rates in Britain.
Other symptoms can include changes to your poo, such as it becoming softer or suffering diarrhoea or constipation that is unusual to you.
Needing to poo more or less than usual, having blood in your poo, bleeding from your bottom and needing to more often, even after just going, are also signs.
Tummy pain, bloating, losing weight accidentally and feeling very tired for no reason are other symptoms.
9 other symptoms of bowel cancer
Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
Changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
Needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
Blood in your poo, which may look red or black
Bleeding from your bottom
Often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
Tummy pain
Bloating
Losing weight without trying
Feeling very tired for no reason
Source: The NHS
Narrow poos may be a sign of the disease – however, it does not necessarily mean that having a narrow poo means you have bowel cancer.
A ‘healthy’ looking poo is sausage shaped, experts say.
If you are concerned about changes to your bowel habits, you should see a doctor.
Dr Cecchini said: “It’s important to catch cancer early through screening or alerting to some of… these symptoms so that we diagnose cancer at an earlier stage, where it’s more treatable and hopefully curable.”
Other types of poos
According to the Bristol Stool Scale, your number two will fit into one of several categories.
The helpful guide compares poo to different objects — from modern art and insects to food.
Sausage-like poos that are soft and easy to pass are what experts call “the gold standard of poop”.
This is because it indicates that all is going smoothly with your digestion and that you’re eating the right amount of fibre.
Snake-shaped poops that are softer than sausage-shaped ones and easier to pass are also considered normal.
Caterpillar-like poos or marbles suggest you are constipated and need more fibre.
Amboeas, on the other hand, are small and easy to pass but still signal a lack of fibre.
These poos are different to diarrhoea, which you can’t really control.
According to the NHS, most cases of diarrhoea should clear up without treatment, especially if it more closely resembles the soft serve on the chart, which suggests you’re suffering from a mild case of the runs.
Crohn’s disease is a bowel condition that can cause inflammation anywhere in the digestive tract, the NHS says, with diarrhoea a key symptom.
Over 500,000 people in the UK have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the two main forms of which are Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
It’s a good idea to stay hydrated and to choose foods that are easy to digest.
Reg flags of cancer you must look for and act upon
THERE are more than 200 types of cancer, each with its own set of symptoms.
A cough lasting three weeks or more is a key sign of lung cancer – the most common cancer in the UK.
Changes to bowel habits lasting more than three weeks, such as diarrhoea, constipation, blood when you poo, or needing to go more often, are signs of bowel cancer, the second most common form of the disease.
There are also common symptoms that can be “red flags” of many forms of cancer, and should always be checked.
They include:
Weight loss for no obvious reason.
Pain that is persistent and unexplained, whether it be dull and consistent, or sharp and brief.
Any lumps, bumps or swellings, such as in the neck, armpit, stomach, groin, chest, breast or testicle.
Fatigue that makes you feel tired all the time and generally lacking in energy.
Night sweats that are very heavy or a fever that can’t be explained.
Changes to the skin, such as puckering on the breast, moles that have changed, very itchy or yellow skin.
Unexplained bleeding from the bottom or vagina, or blood in urine, semen, stool, vomit or when coughing.
