Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Understanding The Symptoms
Written by Maggie Hirko   
Knowing the signs and symptoms of colon cancer can help you to overcome this disease, to get treatment quickly and to ultimately improve your chances of survival.  Colon cancer is a term used to describe cancer that occurs in the colon, which is located in the lower section of your digestive system.  Often clumped with this term is rectal cancer which is a cancer that strikes the last six inches of the colon.  Colorectal cancers, which is a term used to describe both types of cancer, is a treatable condition if caught soon enough. 

The American Cancer Society published data about the occurrence of all cancers, including colon cancer.  According to this non profit group, each year about 112,000 people are newly diagnosed with colon cancer.  An additional 41,000 people are diagnosised each year with rectal cancer. 

Colon cancer symptoms are important to know because they can help you to determine if this disease could be affecting you.  Treatment at the earliest possible time is necessary if you are to overcome this condition.  The cancer begins as a group of cells clump together.  These cells are not cancerous at this time, but are benign.  This clumping is called adenomatous polyps.  It takes some time, but eventually these polyps can become colon cancers.  Not all cells will become cancerous, but many times doctors see any type of clumping as a requirement to remove them to prevent cells from becoming cancerous. 

The Difficulty With Colon Cancer Symptoms

Perhaps the largest problem with early detection in colon cancer is that the condition does not have many symptoms that are noticeable in its early phases.  That's because polyps themselves are very small, often only a few cells joined together until they grow into larger formations.  Some will not produce any symptoms at all.  For someone that is not experiencing symptoms of any type there is no way to know that you do have cancerous growths growing.  Another problem with the symptoms of colon cancer is that they can differ widely between one person and the next.  This often causes problems in early detection because these symptoms may not seem like a problem or could pose as a different and less severe condition. In most cases, the location of the polyps dictates what type of symptoms you are likely to have.  What's more, if the cancer is very small, or very large, symptoms again are different.  All of this can amount to problems with early detection.

With that said, individuals should know what the colon cancer symptoms are, even if they are not often seen.  Here are some of the symptoms to watch for.
  • Bowel change is an important consideration.  If your bowel habits change and they last this way for more than a couple of weeks, there could be a potential problem.  This includes diarrhea that lasts a week or more and constipation that lasts for longer than two weeks.  In addition, the consistency of the bowel movements should be monitored for changes that last longer than a couple of weeks.
  • Blood in the stool is an important consideration no matter if it is cancer or not.  Rectal bleeding is another consideration.  In either case, immediate attention should be given to you by your doctor.
  • Pain and discomfort in the abdominal region can be a symptom if this lasts for an ongoing amount of time.  This could be in the form of cramps, gas or just pain in the region.
  • Pain in the abdomen during, before or after a bowel movement, especially if this becomes an every time event.
  • The feeling that you can not empty your bowel completely is another potential symptom. If you do not feel that you can do this often, contact your doctor.
  •  Weight loss that is unexplained can be a symptom of colon cancer.
  • Weakness, fatigue or exhaustion that is not caused from physical activity should be addressed as well.
Many of these symptoms could be signs of other conditions.  These colon cancer symptoms may be more readily caused by other conditions that only your doctor can determine.  In some cases, such as the blood in your stool, you should visit your doctor regardless to determine what it could be.  If it is bright red blood, this is usually caused by hemorrhoids or minor tears in the anus rather than any type of cancer.  On the other hand, some foods that you eat, such as beets, can cause the stool to look red. 

High doses of iron supplements can cause this.  Anti diarrheal medications often work to make the stool look a different color, usually a darkened color.  These color changes are not necessarily an indication that you have cancer.  Do not underestimate the problem though.  If it could be blood, it could be a serious health condition that may need immediate attention.
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Main Menu

Home
Basics
Methods
Privacy Policy
You are here  :Home arrow Basics arrow Understanding Signs