Myth: I don't need a colonoscopy because I'm not having any symptoms. Fact: Many people are diagnosed with colon cancer when they are feeling just fine. People don't think they can have colon cancer if they feel OK, but they most certainly can.
It's important to remember that not everyone with bowel cancer will have one of the more common symptoms. Some people will have vague or non-specific signs, and some won't have any symptoms at all. We encourage everyone to think about what's normal for you.
Colorectal cancer might not cause symptoms right away. In fact, many of the symptoms of colorectal cancer can also be caused by other problems, such as infection, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease.
The symptoms of bowel cancer can be subtle and do not necessarily make you feel ill. However, it's worth trying simple treatments for a short time to see if they get better.
Signs and symptoms
The 3 main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in the stools (faeces), changes in bowel habit – such as more frequent, looser stools – and abdominal (tummy) pain. However, these symptoms are very common and most people with them do not have bowel cancer.
Because early stages of colon cancer can go unnoticed for years, screening is important for early detection. It is generally recommended that individuals at average risk for colon cancer receive a screening test every 10 years.
Many people with colon cancer experience no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When symptoms appear, they'll likely vary, depending on the cancer's size and location in your large intestine.
Colon cancer is considered a silent disease. Most of the time there are no symptoms. The symptoms that people may experience include a change in bowel habits, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, and weight loss. If individuals have these symptoms, the disease may already have advanced.
Possible symptoms of bowel cancer
a lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or tummy (abdomen), more commonly on the right side. a feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to poo), even after opening your bowels. losing weight. pain in your abdomen or back passage.
The 2 tests used for this are colonoscopy or CT colonography. Emergency referrals, such as people with bowel obstruction, will be diagnosed by a CT scan. Those with severe iron deficiency anaemia and few or no bowel symptoms are usually diagnosed by colonoscopy.
Colorectal cancers can often bleed into the digestive tract. Sometimes the blood can be seen in the stool or make it look darker, but often the stool looks normal.
Many people with colon cancer don't have symptoms. That's why it is so important to keep up with routine screening tests.
The most common tumor marker for colorectal cancer is carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Blood tests for this tumor marker can sometimes suggest someone might have colorectal cancer, but they can't be used alone to screen for or diagnose cancer.
1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Several studies reported that weight gain after diagnosis is common among CRC patients [1–3, 10, 11]. All these studies showed that weight gain after diagnosis was more common than weight loss after diagnosis [1–3, 10, 11].
WALLING, M.D. Rectal bleeding is a relatively common symptom encountered in primary care. Although the risk of colorectal cancer is believed to be low, this rarely has been studied in patients presenting to primary care physicians. Four studies in European countries reported cancer rates of 2.4 to 7.0 percent.
Colorectal cancer symptoms may be minor or non-existent during the early stages of the disease, although there may be some early warning signs. The symptoms of colorectal cancer may not develop until the disease has progressed into stage 2 or beyond.
In most cases, colon and rectal cancers grow slowly over many years. Most of those cancers start as a growth called a polyp. Taking out a polyp early may keep it from turning into cancer.
Age. More than 9 out of 10 cases of bowel cancer develop in older adults over the age of 50, and nearly 6 out of 10 cases develop in people aged 70 or older.
Causes of bowel cancer
inherited genetic risk and family history. inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease. high red meat consumption, especially processed meats. polyps.
Colonoscopy is one of the most sensitive tests currently available for colon cancer screening. The doctor can view your entire colon and rectum. Abnormal tissue, such as polyps, and tissue samples (biopsies) can be removed through the scope during the exam.
You use a home test kit, called a faecal immunochemical test (FIT), to collect a small sample of poo and send it to a lab. This is checked for tiny amounts of blood. Blood can be a sign of polyps or bowel cancer.
Many cases of colon cancer have no symptoms. If there are symptoms, the following may indicate colon cancer: Abdominal pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen.