Is frequent belching a sign of colon cancer?

Recently, a nurse working in Florida (USA) was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, after she showed signs of unusually frequent belching.

Specifically, Health reported that Bailey McBreen, now 25, shared that she first noticed this rare symptom in 2021. "I burp five to 10 times a day. This is unusual because I rarely burp before," said McBreen.

Unusual belching can also be an early warning sign of colon cancer.

More worrying symptoms began to appear in February 2022, including reflux, followed by loss of appetite and difficulty going to the bathroom. Ms. McBreen went to the hospital for a check-up and was told by her doctor that she had stage 3 colon cancer.

“Excessive belching isn’t a typical sign of colon cancer, but my doctor told me it could be a precursor to other serious symptoms,” McBreen said.

Sharing the same opinion, sharing with Health , Dr. Tiago Biachi - a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at Moffitt Cancer Treatment Center (Florida, USA), explained more clearly: "We can imagine the human digestive system as a water pipe. If a blockage occurs, food and digestive juices will accumulate at that point."

And if this abnormal blockage persists, such as because of a tumor blocking the intestine, it can cause symptoms such as nausea, feeling full soon after eating, reflux, and even belching.

In addition, Dr. Biachi also added that early stage colon cancer often has no specific symptoms. When the disease progresses to later stages, the patient may experience some problems such as: changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, or on the surface of the stool, diarrhea, constipation without a clear cause, persistent abdominal pain or unexplained weight loss...

To diagnose colon cancer early, people need to pay attention to small changes in their health or should have regular health check-ups. In some cases, when the symptoms are not clear, the first signs of colorectal cancer can be seen through a blood test.

Accordingly, people with anemia or low red blood cell count, which may be accompanied by some abnormal signs of the digestive tract such as abdominal pain and frequent diarrhea, may also be early warning signs of colon cancer.

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