While in many cases, there are no obvious symptoms with colon cancer, there are some that can be warning signs and should be discussed with your physician. These include: Any major change in bowel habits.
Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include: A persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool. Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool. Persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain.
Some patients under 50 experience symptoms for up to a year before seeing a doctor prompting some experts to encourage earlier screening. Many younger patients with colon cancer are initially misdiagnosed, which often leads to their disease being discovered at an advanced stage.
The 3 main symptoms of bowel cancer are blood in the stools (faeces), a change in bowel habit, such as more frequent, looser stools, and abdominal (tummy) pain.
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.
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. Blood in the stool.
Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): This is an inexpensive, at-home, stool-based test that looks for proteins found in the blood. Blood in the stool could be a sign of colon cancer, and a positive FIT test would signal that you need to get a colonoscopy.
The risk of colorectal cancer increases as people get older. Colorectal cancer can occur in young adults and teenagers, but the majority of colorectal cancers occur in people older than 50. For colon cancer, the average age at the time of diagnosis for men is 68 and for women is 72.
Scan for Color Changes
Colon cancer can cause bleeding in the digestive tract and make your stool a dark brown, maroon, or black.
Colon cancer can be detected early by screening tests, usually by a procedure called a colonoscopy. Undergoing a screening colonoscopy can prevent colon cancer by allowing doctors to discover polyps or precancerous lesions in the colon or rectum.
It can feel like gas, burning or a nagging discomfort. Even if the pain doesn't double you over, if it persists for several weeks, you should talk to your doctor about it, Dr. Del Rosario says. Unexplained weight loss: As a tumor grows, it absorbs more of your proteins and other nutrients, leading to weight loss.
Thin stools are a sign of colon cancer. Any time you notice a narrow or ribbon-like stool, it indicates changes in your colon.
Many people with colon cancer don't have symptoms. That's why it is so important to keep up with routine screening tests. When the disease -- at any stage -- causes symptoms, they may include: Blood (usually dark red or black) in the stool.
Unexplained Weight Loss
Sudden weight loss is often a symptom of several types of cancer, including colon cancer. Unintentional weight loss is the loss of 10 pounds or more in six months or less without knowing the reason. Colorectal cancer can lead to unexplained weight loss in a variety of ways.
Abdominal pain, aches, or cramps may be symptoms of colorectal cancer. If you have any symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away.
A colonoscopy is the most common test used to diagnose colorectal cancer. During a colonoscopy, the doctor looks inside the colon and rectum using a flexible tube with a light and lens on the end (called an endoscope).
No blood test can tell you if you have colon cancer. But your doctor may test your blood for clues about your overall health, such as kidney and liver function tests. Your doctor may also test your blood for a chemical sometimes produced by colon cancers (carcinoembryonic antigen, or CEA).
The research also suggests that once a colon carcinoma develops, if it is going to spread outside the colon, it will do so in less than two years.
The most common symptoms of colorectal cancer are blood in the stool, unintentional weight loss, and either ongoing constipation or diarrhea. Other colorectal cancer symptoms may include: Excessive fatigue. Shortness of breath or chest pain from iron-deficiency anemia.
Colon cancer does not always affect your stool, but it can cause changes that you might be noticing in your bowel movements. Colon cancer can spread throughout the Colon, causing lesions that bleed into the stool, causing your stool to look black or tarry in color.
Early-stage colon cancer often does not present any signs or symptoms — which is why regular screening is critical, especially for patients who have risk factors or a family history of the disease.