Bloating. Persistent stomach pain. Changes in your bathroom habits that you keep meaning to get checked out. For many people, digestive symptoms become background noise — something to manage, push through, or chalk up to stress or diet. But your digestive system is one of the most reliable communicators your body has, and consistently ignoring what it is trying to tell you can have real consequences.
August is both Appendix Cancer Awareness Month and a good moment to take stock of what is happening throughout your entire gastrointestinal system. An estimated 60 to 70 million Americans are affected by digestive diseases — conditions that range from common but chronic issues like GERD and irritable bowel syndrome to more serious diagnoses like Crohn’s disease and colorectal cancer. The problem is that many of these conditions share overlapping symptoms, which can make it easy to dismiss a warning sign as something minor — or attribute a serious symptom to something it is not.
At North Central Surgical Center Hospital, our Gastroenterology, Colorectal Surgery, and General Surgery physicians work with patients across the full spectrum of digestive health. Here is what you should know about the symptoms worth paying attention to.
When Everyday Symptoms Are Not So Everyday
Most people experience occasional digestive discomfort. But there is a meaningful difference between an isolated upset stomach and symptoms that keep coming back. GERD affects an estimated 20 percent of the U.S. population and differs from occasional heartburn in that it causes troublesome or recurring symptoms that can lead to more serious digestive problems if left untreated.
IBS, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis are similarly common and frequently underdiagnosed. Between 2.4 and 3.1 million people in the United States live with either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and these conditions typically manifest in young adulthood, requiring ongoing medical management throughout a patient’s lifetime.
Symptoms that deserve a conversation with a physician include persistent abdominal pain or cramping, chronic bloating that does not resolve, changes in bowel habits lasting more than a few weeks, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, and a feeling that the bowel has not fully emptied. None of these symptoms automatically indicate something serious — but all of them are worth evaluating rather than waiting out.
Colorectal Cancer: The Case for Screening
Colorectal cancer remains one of the most significant digestive health concerns facing Americans today. In 2026, there will be nearly 159,000 new cases of colorectal cancer in the United States, which is the equivalent of approximately 440 diagnoses every day. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer-related cause of death in the United States overall, and ranks first in adults younger than 50 years.
That last point matters more than most people realize. While overall colorectal cancer rates have been declining in older adults due largely to increased screening, incidence rates have increased by 3% annually in adults aged 20 to 49 years, with a rising proportion of cases found in the distal colon and rectum. Colorectal cancer is no longer a condition that only affects older adults, and the symptoms — changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, abdominal discomfort, unexplained fatigue — are easy to dismiss in a younger, otherwise healthy person.
The good news is that colorectal cancer caught early is highly treatable. The five-year relative survival rate for colorectal cancer has increased to 65%, and for localized disease, survival reaches as high as 91%. Screening is the single most effective way to catch it before it progresses.
North Central Surgical Center Hospital’s Direct Screen Colonoscopy Program is designed to make this process as accessible and straightforward as possible. Current guidelines recommend that adults at average risk begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Those with a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps may need to start earlier. If you have been putting this off, your digestive symptoms — or simply your age — may be reason enough to take that next step.
Appendix Cancer: Rare, But Worth Knowing
August is also Appendix Cancer Awareness Month, and while appendix cancer is uncommon, awareness matters precisely because it is so frequently missed. Appendix cancer is diagnosed in approximately 3,000 Americans each year, and about half of all cases are discovered during surgery for acute appendicitis or found incidentally on imaging performed for an unrelated condition.
Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, changes in bowel habits, and loss of appetite. The challenge is that these symptoms closely resemble those of other, more common digestive conditions, which is why appendix cancer is so often discovered late. Many symptoms mimic benign conditions like appendicitis or irritable bowel syndrome, and as a result, diagnosis is frequently delayed, making awareness all the more important for earlier detection.
Research has also raised concern about rising rates in younger populations. One in every three patients diagnosed with appendix cancer is under the age of 50, and a recent study found that cases tripled for Americans born between 1976 and 1984 and quadrupled for those born between 1981 and 1989. If you have persistent or recurring abdominal symptoms that have not been fully explained, it is worth discussing them with a physician rather than assuming the cause is known.
When to Stop Waiting and Start Asking
Digestive health is one of the areas where the instinct to wait and see can have the most significant consequences. Many of the conditions that affect the GI tract — from chronic inflammatory diseases to colorectal and appendix cancers — respond far better to treatment when addressed early. And many of the symptoms that point to those conditions are ones people live with for months or years before seeking care.
If something has felt off, whether it is a symptom that comes and goes, a change you have been monitoring, or a screening you keep postponing, the Gastroenterology, Colorectal Surgery, and General Surgery physicians at North Central Surgical Center Hospital are here to help you find answers.
Find a North Central Surgical Center Hospital physician and take the first step at northcentralsurgical.com/team.
Sources:
- American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer Key Statistics, 2026: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
- American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2026: https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/colorectal-cancer-facts-figures.html
- CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians — Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026 (NIH/PMC): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12951547/
- UChicago Medicine AdventHealth — 7 Most Common Digestive Conditions: https://www.uchicagomedicineadventhealth.org/blog/7-most-common-digestive-conditions
- The Global Statistics — Digestive Disease Statistics in the U.S.: https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/digestive-disease-statistics-in-us/
- Vanderbilt Health News — Sharp Increase in Appendix Cancer for Gen X and Millennials: https://news.vumc.org/2025/06/10/study-shows-sharp-increase-in-appendix-cancer-for-generation-x-and-millennials/
- UT MD Anderson Cancer Center — Appendix Cancer Overview: https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/appendix-cancer.html
- Medovent Solutions — Appendix Cancer Awareness Month: https://www.medoventsolutions.com/blog/appendix-cancer-awareness-month/