A top doctor has warned of five common signs when you go to the bathroom that could be early warning symptoms of cancer.
Anne Marie O'Broin Lennon, Director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, shared a list of common symptoms you might be ignoring - but you shouldn't.
Overall, there are some broader signs to look out for, and these include:
Shortness of Breath
Bleeding
Lumps and Masses
Difficulty Swallowing or Feeling Full
Changes in Body Functions
However some of the more specific symptoms can come in the last of these categories, particularly when you go to the bathroom.
And Dr O'Broin Lennon warned that you should contact your GP if you notice any of these symptoms when you go to the toilet:
- Sudden constipation or diarrhoea
- Difficulty passing urine or passing stool
- Passing air in urine or urine mixed in your stool
- Feeling like you’re not emptying your bowels completely
- Any other change from your normal bowel function
It comes after a warning from medics of another "telltale sign" that could indicate that someone has cancer.
Prostate cancer, often labelled "aggressive" for its ability to spread if it goes untreated, is the most common male cancer in Ireland.
About 3,890 men are diagnosed with the illness here every year, meaning that one in seven men will have the disease during their lifetime.
Prostate cancer is when the cells of the prostate gland grow in an abnormal way to form a lump.
A tube called the urethra transmits urine from the body to the exterior and if the prostate gland is enlarged it can cause trouble passing urine because it presses on the urethra.
According to experts, there is one night time habit that could be a warning sign for the cancer.
The condition can cause a sudden need to rush to the toilet, or increase the urge to urinate throughout the night.
Experts at the Cleveland Clinic say that nocturia is a condition that causes you to wake up during the night to urinate.
Studies have found that severe nocturia occurs in approximately 25% of prostate cancer as a side effect of radiation treatment, which can be detrimental to patients’ quality of life.
But the condition can also result from a tumour that is growing in size, pushing against the urethra.
“This can be thought of as nocturnal urinary frequency - having to urinate more often at night”, explains the health body.
Nocturnia typically occurs in the later stages of the disease, warranting prompt treatments.
The Irish Cancer Society says: "Often prostate cancer grows slowly and doesn’t cause any symptoms for a long time, if at all.
"Prostate cancer usually only causes symptoms when it has grown large enough to disturb your bladder or press on the tube that drains urine."
