SYMPTOMS
Why You Should See Our Doctors
If you are 45 or older, and you have none of the additional risk factors mentioned below, a screening colonoscopy is recommended now. If you are African American, your recommended initial screening age is 45 since you are at slightly higher risk.
If you have a family history of colon cancer or polyps, or are a smoker, significantly obese, or have had ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, yourinitial screening colonoscopy should take place at age 40.
If someone in your family has had colon cancer at an unusually early age (before age 50), then your screening exam should begin 10 years before the age of onset for that relative.
Change in Bowel Habits
A persistent change in bowel habits is one of the most common early warning signs of gastrointestinal issues, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food intolerances to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer. While occasional digestive irregularities are normal, symptoms lasting longer than two to three weeks warrant professional medical evaluation.
Key changes that require attention include:
Unexplained frequency shifts: Persistent diarrhea, sudden severe constipation, or alternating between the two without an obvious dietary trigger.
Stool appearance and consistency: Narrow, pencil-thin stools, unusually watery stool, or visible mucous in the bowel movement.
Incomplete evacuation: A persistent sensation that your bowel does not fully empty after using the bathroom (tenesmus).
Accompanying red-flag symptoms: Rectal bleeding or dark, tarry stools, chronic abdominal cramping, unexplained weight loss, or fatigue.
Early screening and diagnostic procedures like a colonoscopy allow gastroenterologists to identify polyps, inflammation, or structural changes before they progress into more serious conditions.
Bowel Movements
If at any time you experience blood in your bowel movement (rectal bleeding), anal pain, change in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation), straining, change in color or shape of stool, persistent abdominal pain, or low blood count on blood tests (anemia) you very likely should have a screening colonoscopy.
Positive Cologuard or FIT Test
A positive Cologuard® or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is not a cancer diagnosis, but it is an urgent medical signal that requires prompt follow-up. These non-invasive stool tests detect microscopic blood or abnormal DNA markers, which can indicate precancerous polyps, bleeding lesions, or early-stage colorectal cancer. If you receive an abnormal or positive result—especially if accompanied by rectal bleeding, unexplained abdominal pain, or changes in bowel habits—the recommended next step is scheduling a diagnostic colonoscopy. A follow-up colonoscopy allows a gastroenterologist to examine the entire colon, locate the source of bleeding, and remove any polyps before they have the chance to develop into cancer.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms & High Risk Factors
- Unexplained weight loss could be an early sign of colon cancer.
- Family member(s) with colon polyps or colon cancer
- Smoking
- Symptoms of blood in the stool
- Anemia
- Abdominal pain
- If you yourself have had polyps or colon cancer
- Change in bowel habits.
- You are having frequent heartburn (acid reflux), or difficulty swallowing, or another ‘upper’ abdominal symptom you may require upper endoscopy (a brief procedure to examine your esophagus, stomach and small bowel)
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