What Are the Early Symptoms of Colon Cancer?

What Are the Early Symptoms of Colon Cancer?

Staff Writer |Mar 15, 2024

Early Detection Saves Lives

Before you can fully understand early symptoms of colon cancer, it is important to understand where exactly it occurs within your body.

A colon refers to the final part of the digestive system; specifically, it is part of the large intestine. The purpose of a colon is to help prepare your digested foods for excretion. It stores your waste as it waits to vacate your body and plays a very minor part in extracting nutrients in the final stages of digestion.

What is Colon Cancer?

As the name suggests, colon cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon. Cancer occurs when cells, instead of replicating at a regular rate, begin to divide rapidly, causing tumors to form, and disrupting healthy bodily functions. As cancers progress, the growing cells can travel to other regions of the body.

What are Polyps?

Polyps are growths that can grow within the colon. Having polyp growth does not mean you will get colon cancer. While not all polyps are cancerous, almost all malignant tumors in the colon start as polyps.

Upon examination, your doctor will be able to give you more information on what your options are. Generally, a physician will perform a colonoscopy to remove it. Once removed, a pathologist can examine the tissue to determine whether or not the sample is dangerous and if further actions need to be taken.

Symptoms of Polyps

Polyps are not something you can see. To know something is not quite right, you will have to monitor your regular bodily functions.

The most commonly reported symptoms related to polyp formation are:

  • Rectal bleeding: If you notice that your rectum is bleeding, this could be due to polyp formation. It is important to recognize that this is also a common symptom of other problems such as hemorrhoids or anal tears. If it happens persistently, you should consider visiting your doctor for an internal examination.
  • Abdominal pain: When polyps are rather big, they can obstruct the bowel. In doing so, it can cause problems that manifest as cramps or other abdominal pain.
  • Irregular-colored stools: Even if you cannot notice it directly, rectal bleeding can influence the color of the stool. You may notice some small red stripes in mild cases. In more serious cases, heavy bleeding may cause your poop to appear black. Before you start to worry, make sure these color changes are not simply due to a change in diet, medication, or supplement use.
  • Anemia: If polyps continue to bleed for a prolonged time, they may cause the development of an iron deficiency. Anemia can manifest in several ways, including fatigue, shortness of breath, feeling dizzy, fainting, or having abnormally pale skin.

Common Early Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Polyps themselves are, again, not a direct indication of colon cancer. While cancer can develop from a polyp, there are other symptoms which separate the benign and malignant development.

Symptoms of colon cancer are different for everyone, but the most commonly reported signs are:

  • Changes in bowel movements: Particularly, you want to pay attention to the consistency of your stools. If it looks different or you develop constipation or diarrhea for an extended time, talk to your doctor.
  • Rectal bleeding: You might pass bloody stools.
  • Abdominal pain: Any type of discomfort, such as cramps or gas, should be monitored.
  • Fatigue: Feeling weak or consistently tired despite adequate rest can be a sign of many medical problems.
  • Weight loss: Unexplained weight loss may be a sign of a lack of nutrition due to a malfunctioning digestive tract. Essentially, if your intestines are not able to properly absorb nutrients from food, you will not get enough nutrition from the food you eat.
  • The “feeling” of a full bowel: Sometimes, even after passing a bowel movement to the highest extent possible, some patients report feeling like their bowel is not “empty”. While this is a normal sensation to experience from time to time, it can be a sign of an underlying colon problem.

When to See a Doctor

If you notice any of these symptoms mentioned above consistently, you should schedule an appointment with a licensed physician. Even if your abnormalities are not cancerous, they can be a sign of another serious medical condition that should be addressed.

The earlier you recognize a problem, the better chance you have of getting access to effective medical intervention.

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