While irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colon cancer are two distinctly different diseases, it can be difficult to tell them apart initially. That’s because they share several symptoms in the early stages. Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with colon cancer, the last thing you want to do is miss the signs. It’s usually best to catch any cancer as quickly as possible so you can start treatment as soon as possible. To do that, it’s essential to know how these two diseases differ.
The Symptoms That IBS and Colon Cancer Share
The main reason that these illnesses share symptoms is that they affect the same area of the body. With colon cancer and IBS, you may have varying issues with your digestive system. You may experience diarrhea, constipation, or a combination of both, which can last for a prolonged period. Regardless of how often you go to the bathroom, you may feel as if your bowel movements are incomplete and you have to keep going back to relieve the sensation. Finally, both IBS and colon cancer can cause bloating and excess gas.
7 Key Differences to Note
1. IBS Causes Whitish Mucus
IBS is more likely to change the general appearance of your stool than colon cancer. One change you may notice is that your waste is coated in a white mucus that wasn’t there before.
2. Colon Cancer Causes Dark Stool
If you’re dealing with colon cancer, you may notice that you have darkened, bloody stool. While the food you eat or certain supplements can darken your stool, this is usually easily reversed if you don’t eat that food or take the supplement for a few days. In the same vein, hemorrhoids can temporarily make your bowel movements bloody, but consistent bloody stool is more likely to be colon cancer.
3. Colon Cancer Makes You Tired
The bleeding associated with colon cancer can also lead to anemia. In this case, you’re likely to feel inexplicably tired.
4. Colon Cancer Causes Weakness
This symptom is also associated with the anemia that can accompany colon cancer. If you have no other conditions that may have led to being anemic, it’s a definite sign that you need to see your doctor.
RELATED: Day 1: Just Been Diagnosed With IBS
5. Colon Cancer Causes Narrowed Stool
Colon cancer can cause your waste to take on a more narrowed appearance than is typical. While your stool can vary occasionally depending on your diet, a consistently narrow stool can indicate colon cancer.
6. Colon Cancer Causes Rectal Bleeding
Apart from having bloody stool, you may see rectal bleeding with colon cancer. This never happens with IBS, so it’s considered to be an emergency that you need to see your doctor about.
7. Colon Cancer Causes Unexplained Weight Loss
Some people with IBS may have a certain amount of weight loss as they determine which diet is best for them. However, the weight loss with colon cancer typically has no explanation and can be significant over a short period.
How to Get the Right Diagnosis
The key to getting diagnosed with the right condition is to provide your doctor with as much information as possible. While you need to discuss all your symptoms, it will be essential to stress the ones that are different. For example, you should talk about bloating, but make sure to include whether it’s accompanied by persistent vomiting.
Additionally. IBS usually has triggers, so you should document any particular foods or stressful situations that tend to make your symptoms worse. Colon cancer, on the other hand, progresses over time. The symptoms are not as likely to flare up and go into remission as with IBS.
It can also be helpful to mention any risk factors that you may have, as they can point to one condition over the other. With IBS, women under the age of 50 are most likely to develop the condition. You may also be at a higher risk if you have a family history of IBS and have anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.
The risk factors for colon cancer can be a little more complicated. In this case, people who use tobacco products and drink alcohol excessively have a higher risk of colon cancer. The same is true for those who don’t exercise, are obese, and eat a lot of red or processed meat. You may also be more prone to developing colon cancer if you have a lot of polyps, have a family history of polyps, or have family members with cancer.
Interestingly, people with IBS may also develop colon cancer more easily, so it’s not impossible to have both conditions. What’s important is that you’re completely transparent with your doctor about your symptoms, risk factors, and potential triggers.
RELATED: 5 Colon Cancer Symptoms that are Often Confused
How Each Condition is Treated
There’s no definitive test for IBS, but your doctor can diagnose you by doing a thorough medical examination, assessing your symptoms, and reviewing the results of different tests. These tests can include a colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, CT scan, stool tests, and lactose intolerance tests.
If you’re diagnosed with IBS, your doctor will determine the severity of your symptoms to prescribe treatment. People with mild symptoms can usually manage the condition with changes to their diet and avoiding triggers. Those with more severe symptoms may need medication to ease their pain, digestive issues, and chronic inflammation.
Fortunately, it’s easier to diagnose colon cancer, so you can get to treatment fairly quickly. The steps to a diagnosis can involve several tests including complete blood count (CBC), a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) assay, X-rays, a computed tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, an ultrasound, or a biopsy.
After diagnosing you with colon cancer, your doctor will also need to stage the disease, which helps to determine your treatment. Surgery is the most common option for treating colon cancer, but the type will depend on how far the disease has progressed. Your doctor may opt to remove the polyps or a section of your colon. They may also use the heat from radiofrequency ablation to kill abnormal cells.
Some people may also need chemotherapy or targeted therapy to attack cancerous cells that have spread or to prevent the disease from returning.
IBS and colon cancer have similar symptoms because they affect the same area. However, there are specific symptoms that only appear in colon cancer. It’s critical to note them so you can tell your doctor what’s bothering you and get the right diagnosis.
