Weird Poops: Stool Changes That Might Signal Colon Cancer
CancerColon Cancer

Weird-Looking Stools: How Your Poop Can Signal Colon Cancer

Weird-Looking Stools: How Your Poop Can Signal Colon Cancer
Everyday Health
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Published on January 15, 2026
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Colon cancer can announce its presence with symptoms like abdominal pain or cramping, bloody stools, and one lesser-known sign: change in poop shapes.

 The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 150,000 people will receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2025, and factors like gender, age, and family health history can increase your risk.

But, no matter your risk level, you need to know how your stools should look. Pebble-like stools, flat "ribbon-like" stools — especially if these are a change from your baseline bowel movements — and stools with blood may signal a problem.

That’s why Georgia CORE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting colon cancer screening and prevention, has launched its “Weird Looking Stools” campaign to help people identify abnormal poop. “Colorectal cancer cases are increasing in people under age 50, so it’s important they know the signs and symptoms and seek care immediately if they have [any],” says Lynn Durham, the president and CEO of Georgia CORE.

But people of all ages need to know the signs of colorectal cancer. “We also want this awareness campaign to remind people 45 or older that they need to be screened for colorectal cancer with an in-home stool-based test or a colonoscopy, as advised and ordered by their primary care physician,” says Durham. You may need a colonoscopy even sooner if you have a family history of colon cancer or large polyps in a first-degree relative (such as your siblings or parents), so speak with your family members about their medical history, too.

What Healthy Poop Looks Like

After you eat, your body takes the nutrients it needs from your food. As your digestive system moves food through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, your intestines also absorb liquid, and you release whatever is leftover by having a bowel movement.

 When describing healthy poop, healthcare providers often reference the Bristol Stool Chart, which gives a visual guide to what bowel movements should look like.

Here are the categories:

  • Type 1: Seperate, pebble-like stools
  • Type 2: Lumpy, sausage-like stools
  • Type 3: Sausage-shaped with cracks
  • Type 4: Smooth, soft sausage or snake-like
  • Type 5: Soft blobs with clear edges
  • Type 6: Mushy blobs with ragged edges
  • Type 7: Liquid with no solid pieces
Chart titled Bristol Stool Chart: Types of Poop. Illustrated points include Type 1: hard lumps or small pebbles, Type 2: lumpy, hard, and sausage shaped, Type 3: sausage shaped with cracks along the surface, Type 4: resembles a thin sausage or snake,
Everyday Health; Adobe Stock.

If you get a good balance of nutrients, fiber, and liquid throughout the day, your stool should have a certain look. “Healthy stool is smooth, soft and sausage-shaped, and often a single piece like type 3 or type 4,” says Trevor Feinstein, MD, a medical oncologist with Piedmont Cancer Institute in Fayetteville, Georgia, and the chief medical officer of Georgia CORE. “Stool should be light to dark brown, and should be painless, requiring little to no straining.”

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Weird-Looking Stools and What They Mean

Weird-looking stools can point to several GI problems, including colorectal cancer. Stool symptoms that could point to a growing tumor include:

  • Narrow, “ribbon-like” stools that last longer than a few days, especially if this is a change from your usual bowel movements
  • Stools with blood, which might make the poop look black
One study of 29,005 people over 22 years found that the most common symptoms predicting colon cancer were a change in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation), rectal bleeding, iron-deficiency anemia, and a rectal or abdominal mass. In this study, 91.5 percent of bowel cancers caused these symptoms.

Bowel Changes Based on Tumor Location

Symptoms may look different depending on a tumor’s location, says Dr. Feinstein. “[For example, a] change in bowel habits is more common in patients with left-sided colon cancer, [and] rectal cancers tend to cause more rectal pain and pencil-thin stools.”

Because of these differences, no single symptom can confirm colorectal cancer, says Feinstein. “However, any change in bowel habit (frequency and characteristics), blood in the stool, or abdominal pain along with weight loss should be evaluated.” You can also take a colon cancer risk-assessment quiz on the Weird Looking Stools site.

Poop Appearance in Each Cancer Stage

Based on its size and where it has spread, colon cancer stages go from 0 to 4, and each stage may affect your poop differently.

  • Stages 0 and 1 typically cause no changes in stools, but sometimes can cause minor rectal bleeding.
  • Stage 2 means the cancer has spread through the colon layers and may cause visible blood in your poop, thinner stools, and more frequent bowel movements.
  • Stage 3 signifies larger growth and further spread to nearby lymph nodes, and causes more frequent pencil-thin stools.
  • Stage 4 means your tumor may be very large, and stools can look extremely thin or like pebbles. Bloody or very dark stools are common in this stage.

What to Do When Your Poop Looks Weird

Everyone has a strange bowel movement now and then, but if you notice certain symptoms, or your weird-looking poop lasts more than a few days, let your healthcare provider know.

If you report the symptoms above, your healthcare provider may want to do some tests to rule out colon cancer.

  • At-home stool tests like fecal occult blood tests and multitarget stool DNA/RNA tests allow you to send in a stool sample for lab testing without the hassle of a colonoscopy.

  • Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy lets your doctor inspect the lining of your intestines and take biopsies to test for cancer.
  • Blood tests can check for DNA left behind by growing cancer.
Colon cancer is easier to treat when it’s caught early, so if you notice that your poop looks strange, or experience any change in bowel habits for more than a few days, it’s always smart to let your doctor investigate.

The Takeaway

  • Weird-looking poop can point to colon cancer, especially if it is a change from your usual bowel movements and looks like pebbles or narrow ribbons, or if it contains blood.
  • Healthy poop should usually be soft, brown, and formed. A change in bowel habits or poop consistency that lasts more than a few days can signal a problem.
  • Let your healthcare provider know if you have noticed changes to your stool, so they can rule out colon cancer.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  2. Cancer Stat Facts: Colorectal Cancer. National Cancer Institute.
  3. Menon G et al. Colon Cancer. StatPearls. February 27, 2025.
  4. Colon Cancer Stool: What to Look for and How to Test at Home. Mayo Clinic. 2025.
  5. Why Is Colorectal Cancer Rising Rapidly among Young Adults? National Cancer Institute. November 5, 2020.
  6. Your Digestive System & How it Works. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. December 2017.
  7. Ernstmeyer K et al. Nursing Fundamentals. Open Resources for Nursing. 2021.
  8. Demb J et al. Red Flag Signs and Symptoms for Patients With Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer. JAMA Network Open. 2024.
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  11. Chakrabarti S et al. Early Stage Colon Cancer: Current Treatment Standards, Evolving Paradigms, and Future Directions. World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. 2020.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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