A change in bowel habit is most commonly associated with bowel cancer; it is one of the three main symptoms of the disease.
However, it can also be a sign of pancreatic cancer. Jones said: “This is a very, very important one because there are many, many causes of diarrhoea, but this is something we call steatorrhea – when there’s fat present in the stool, which makes it go a yellowy colour, which also happens in jaundice.
“This greasy, yellowy poo that doesn’t flush away is a sure sign that there’s something wrong higher up in the digestive system. If the patient doesn’t describe the specifics of their diarrhoea, it can waste time for diagnosis, and time is of the essence.”
In contrast, in bowel cancer, the stool is more likely to become dark red or tarry as a result of bleeding in the upper bowel.
