Colon Cancer (cont.)

Colon Cancer Symptoms

Cancer of the colon and rectum can exhibit itself in several ways. If you have any of these symptoms, seek immediate medical help.
You may notice bleeding from your rectum or blood mixed with your stool.

• People commonly attribute all rectal bleeding to hemorrhoids, thus preventing early diagnosis owing to lack of concern over "bleeding hemorrhoids."
  
  
• Rectal bleeding may be hidden and chronic and may show up as an iron deficiency anemia.
  
  
• It may be associated with fatigue and pale skin.
  
  
• It usually, but not always, can be detected through a fecal occult (hidden) blood test, in which samples of stool are submitted to a lab for detection of blood.

If the tumor gets large enough, it may completely or partially block your colon. You may notice the following symptoms of bowel obstruction:

• Abdominal distension: Your belly sticks out more than it did before without weight gain.
  
  
• Abdominal pain: This is rare in colon cancer. One cause is tearing (perforation) of the bowel. Leaking of bowel contents into the pelvis can cause inflammation (peritonitis) and infection.
  
  
• Unexplained, persistent nausea or vomiting
  
  
• Unexplained weight loss
  
  
• Change in frequency or character of stool (bowel movements)
  
  
• Small-caliber (narrow) or ribbon-like stools
  
  
• Sensation of incomplete evacuation after a bowel movement
  
  
• Rectal pain: Pain rarely occurs with colon cancer and usually indicates a bulky tumor in the rectum that may invade surrounding tissue.

Studies suggest that the average duration of symptoms (from onset to diagnosis) is 14 weeks. There is no association between overall duration of symptoms and the stage of your tumor.

Next: When to Seek Medical Care »

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