Get ready for some small talk.
UK surgeon, author and TikTok favorite Dr. Karan Rangarajan, also known as Dr. Karan Raj, has taken to the platform to differentiate between a common symptom of hemorrhoids. and an indicator of possible colon cancer.
In the viral clip — which has garnered over 2.3 million views — Raj responded to another video posted by Colon Cancer Amigo, detailing the bloody bathroom visits that led to his stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis at age 32 years old.
But viewers who have noticed some blood on their TP may be wondering how to tell when it’s just tumors and when it is a sign, something bigger may be wrong.
Using a pen, the Colon Cancer Amigo applied a handful of bright red dots to toilet paper to mimic what his TP usually looked like when he had hemorrhoids. hemorrhoids, also known as heaps, are swollen veins in the anus and rectum that can lead to pain, itching and bleeding, but are generally benignn.
Amigo then emptied red food coloring into an empty toilet bowl to demonstrate what his bathroom visits looked like in the weeks before his diagnosis.
In response, Raj posed the question, “How do you tell the difference between bleeding from colon cancer versus hemorrhoids?”
He explained that bleeding from hemorrhoids is usually a bright red color due to the blood originating from the anus or rectum. Meanwhile, blood from colon cancer tends to be dark red, bordering on black, because it originates higher in the digestive tract, giving it more time to oxidize and darken.
“Blood from the cancer can mix in the stool, giving the stool a darker or streaky appearance,” he continued. “While hemorrhoid blood usually appears on the toilet paper after wiping, on the surface of the stool, or even as droplets in the toilet bowl, rather than being mixed into the stool.”
In a truly memorable visual analogy, Raj compared hemorrhoid blood to a pizza topping, while colon cancer blood is a baked topping—like cheese on top of a slice versus cheese cooked inside the crust.
Raj’s response comes as rates of colon cancer among young people have risen steadily over the past three decades, even as diagnoses among older people decline.
A shocking 20% of colorectal cancer cases in 2019 were detected in people younger than 55, up from 11% in 1995.
Alarmingly, this younger demographic tends to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease, making it more difficult to treat and cure, according to documents that expect colon cancer to cause about 53,000 deaths in the US this year.
Oncologists have partly blamed the alarming rise in cases and deaths among young people on obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, the Western diet, excessive sugar consumption and environmental factors such as pollutants in the air, soil and water.
Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 at the age of 39 before dying of the disease in 2020 at the age of 43. Last week, actor James Van Der Beek, 47 , revealed his diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer. .
Recent research found that the most common red flag for colorectal cancer in young people was rectal bleeding, with nearly half of those diagnosed reporting blood on their toilet paper or in their toilet.
Dr. Raj was quick to point out that rectal bleeding is another symptom of colon cancer.
“You tend to get symptoms other than bleeding like diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, etc.,” he said.
Many young people with colorectal cancer are misdiagnosed with other things, such as hemorrhoids or IBS.
Raj urges patients to seek further evaluation if any of these symptoms are present. Medical professionals agree that having a colonoscopy is critical for catching colorectal cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.
Screening usually begins at age 45, but those experiencing symptoms and those with a family history of colon cancer may be eligible earlier.
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Image Source : nypost.com