Cancer vs IBS: Knowing the Difference
- Los Angeles stylist and mother of two Sarah Beran learned she had colon cancer at age 34 after digestive problems were initially thought to be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or even a “parasite.” A colonoscopy ultimately uncovered more than 100 polyps and a mass in her rectum.
- The symptoms of colon (also known as colorectal) cancer and IBS are similar, so it’s important to be vigilant about changes to your body and bring any concerning symptoms to your doctor promptly.
- Colon cancer can lead to significant changes in bowel movements, changes in stool color, pain in the abdomen, and sudden weight loss. Meanwhile, IBS can lead to cramping, gas, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating.
- Colonoscopies are the most effective way to screen for colon cancer, according to our experts, and they’re important for both prevention and early detection. The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Cancer Society have both lowered the recommended initial age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, in response to rising rates of colorectal cancer among younger adults.
- If you or someone you love is navigating cancer, you don’t have to face every question alone. SurvivorNet’s My Health Questions, an AI-powered tool, can help you find answers to everyday cancer questions, better understand treatment options, and feel more informed along the way.
Now, 40, the co-founder of the fashion brand Worldclass, which supports colonoscopy initiatives, is looking back on the symptoms that proved to be “more than just a parasite,” with a message for others: Don’t ignore changes in your body.
Read More
For a time, Beran said, she continued with her daily life despite her symptoms. However, that changed when she began experiencing extreme fatigue and noticed enough blood in her stool to fill the toilet.
Beran noted that her experience unfolded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when securing a doctor’s appointment could be particularly challenging, and further recalled in her conversation with TODAY.com, “I ended up just like taking a picture of of my stool and all of the blood that was in it, and I brought it to (my doctor) … and she realized, yeah, this is definitely more than just a parasite.”
A colonoscopy was then scheduled, revealing more than 100 polyps and a mass in her rectum. It turned out to be colon cancer.
Beran’s treatment included chemotherapy, complete removal of her colon, a temporary ileostomy bag [a pouch worn outside the body over a stoma to collect liquid waste from the small intestine], followed by additional chemotherapy.
A Stage 4 Colon Cancer Diagnosis
Months later, in 2021, a routine scan showed that the cancer had spread to her lung, resulting in a stage 4 diagnosis. She then had surgery to remove a lung nodule, followed by radiation treatment.
Doctor are continuing to monitor a few small lung nodules, but she has since been deemed “cancer-free.”
View this post on Instagram
Beran, who recently had a surgery to remove scar tissue that caused bowel obstructions, added, “Whenever you have Stage 4 cancer, you’re always on surveillance … and there’s always little things that pop up.”
She encourages others, “You know your own body, and if something feels off or wrong, you’ve got to go get it checked out.”
RELATED: Colorectal Cancer Is On The Rise in Young Adults — Here’s What We Know
Beran founded the fashion brand Worldclass Clothing, with her friend Brooks Bell to raise awareness for colorectal cancer screenings.
Their website reads, “We were both successful professionals in our 30s when we were diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. We survived, but the experience left a mark on us. And now we’re driven to keep others from having to go through the same thing.
“We’re rebels with a cause, and we firmly believe in the power of fashion and community to change health culture and save some perfect peaches. Every purchase will go towards paying for a colonoscopy for someone underinsured, and each of our high-quality, iconoclasstic designs is meant to start some back end conversations. We’re hellbent on making colon cancer a thing of the past.”
Colon Cancer vs. GI Symptoms
Gastrointestinal problems can be caused by many factors. One important thing to remember is that colorectal cancer is usually a slow-growing cancer, so symptoms may not be apparent until the cancer has spread. In other words, getting a routine screening, such as a colonoscopy, is very important, rather than looking out for concerning symptoms.
Dr. Zuri Murrell previously told SurvivorNet, “all colon cancer starts as these small growths called polyps. And these polyps have no signs, no symptoms. The only way you can know you have them is if you do a colonoscopy, and you see them.” Moreover, he adds, during the colonoscopy, the polyps can be removed.
However, there are some key symptoms that should prompt you to check with your doctor about potential colorectal cancer. According to the CDC, these include:
- A change in bowel habits
- Blood in your stool
- Diarrhea, constipation, or a feeling that you’re not completely emptying your bowels
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while IBS and colorectal cancer share some symptoms, especially in bowel habits, “Colorectal cancer may have additional symptoms of blood in the stool, weight loss, fatigue, and a feeling of incomplete bowel movements.”
Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions
Understanding & Treating Colorectal Cancer
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Your doctor might call this type of cancer colorectal cancer.
The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don’t have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts. If you get the recommended screenings, your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form, before they can cause problems.
While experts don’t know exactly what causes colon cancer, they do point to certain risk factors, such as diet, smoking tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Having a family history of colorectal cancer can also increase the risk.
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is now the third-leading cause of cancer death in men, fourth in women, but second overall when combined, and it’s become the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and second in women under 50. But it’s also highly preventable with recommended screenings.
Dr. Heather Yeo, colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine, wants to remind people how far the treatment of this disease has come.
“One of the most exciting things about my job is that we’ve made a lot of progress on treatment options,” Dr. Yeo said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. “However … while they’re living longer, [patients] are still living with colon cancer.”
She explained that patients with stage I to III colon cancer typically need to undergo surgery.
Choosing the Right Surgery for Your Colon Cancer While Avoiding Marketing Gimmicks
During surgery, the surgeon removes the section of the colon with the cancer, along with nearby lymph nodes — a procedure that’s known as a partial colectomy. Surgeons can perform it through an open incision, but increasingly it’s being done laparoscopically through several small incisions using specialized tools. Surgery is followed by chemotherapy to get rid of any cancer cells that might have been left behind.
Related: The Type of Colon Surgery Depends on the Location of the Tumor
After a partial colectomy, surgeons typically reconnect the two ends of the colon. But in some cases, the surgery creates enough of a disruption in the colon that it becomes difficult to have a normal bowel movement afterward. In that case, the surgeon will perform a procedure called a colostomy, creating a temporary or permanent opening through the belly through which stool can exit the body. Wastes collect in a pouch worn on the outside of the abdomen, called an ostomy bag.
“A colostomy or an ostomy, is taking the bowel and attaching it to the skin so the bowel movement would go into a bag, rather than out the anus and rectum,” Dr. Daniel Labow, chief of surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.
Colostomy sounds much worse than it is. “Once you get over the psychosocial effects, you can lead a totally normal life,” Dr. Labow says. “It’s not painful. It’s just getting used to a different way.”
A Spike in Colon Cancer Cases in Young Adults
The average age at which people are diagnosed with colon cancer is 68 for men and 72 for women, according to the American Cancer Society.
However, the National Cancer Institute reports that since the 1990s, colorectal cancer cases have been rising among adults younger than 50. Research published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians found that the proportion of cases in people younger than 55 “increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.”
“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” cancer epidemiologist and lead study author Rebecca Siegel said.
Researchers are still trying to determine why younger people are being diagnosed in more significant numbers. Some experts point to risk factors, which include obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking, as a possible explanation for the increase.
“We don’t know for sure why we are seeing earlier onset and death from colon cancer,” Dr. Yeo explained.
“It is likely a combination of factors, including diet and genetics as well as access to care and some environmental factors.”
WATCH: How Doctors Look for Polyps.
Most colon cancers can be prevented with regular screening. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long, thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are found, the next screening won’t be needed for 10 years.
“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Yeo told SurvivorNet. “Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Yeo added.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45 in 2021.
The American Cancer Society had recommended the same change in 2018. Since then, the American Gastroenterological Association and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer have also supported lowering the recommended starting age.
Pushing For A Correct Diagnosis
When it comes to your health, be a little pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a follow-up plan, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.
As a patient, if you don’t feel like each of these four things has been accomplished, just ask! Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate.
The Importance of Being Your Own Advocate
Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet that healthcare guidelines are meant to do the right thing for the largest number of people while using the fewest resources.
“The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic,” he said.
Dr. Murrell told SurvivorNet that not every patient will “fit into the mold,” so it’s important to educate yourself and be your own health care advocate.
“Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn’t work, what the next plan is,” Dr. Murrell advised. “And I think that that’s totally fair. And me as a health professional, that’s what I do for all of my patients.”
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you have a cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.
WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care
This powerful resource is embedded throughout the SurvivorNet website and delivers structured responses grounded in clinical guidelines and medically reviewed research to help people better understand their treatment options and feel more confident navigating care.
My Health Questions can also help patients prepare useful questions ahead of their next appointment.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
