Signs of Bowel Cancer
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. People with a strong family history of polyps or early bowel cancer should have a screening colonoscopy earlier than fifty years of age. A colonoscopy can find and remove polyps and precancerous lesions that have no signs of bowel cancer but can lead to the disease if left untreated. Most bowel cancer arises from polyps which can’t be felt or noticed by the individual who has them.
In some cases, there are signs of bowel cancer or symptoms that might lead a person to believe they have bowel cancer. It’s important to know what symptoms there are around bowel cancer so you can see your doctor if you develop them.
Change of Bowel Habits
One sign of bowel cancer is a change in bowel habits. This can include symptoms of diarrhea or extreme constipation. The consistency of the stool in the bowels can change suddenly or gradually. Watch for these signs for a couple of weeks and if they persist, you should consider seeking medical attention.
If you have rectal bleeding, it can be a sign of bowel cancer. This can involve blood around the caliber of the stools or mixed in with the stools. There can be frank bleeding from the rectum or dark and tarry stools. If stools are persistently black, this can mean that you have bowel cancer higher up in the colon. The body partly digests the blood, turning it black in color. This leaves you with a sign of bowel cancer that is almost unmistakable as belonging to bleeding higher in the colon, the stomach, the esophagus and the small bowel. It doesn’t just have to be bowel cancer. You could just have a bleeding ulcer. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to seek medical attention if your stools are persistently black or tarry in nature.
Abdominal Pain
Another sign of bowel cancer is abdominal pain. It can be as simple as a mild aching pain or it can represent crampy abdominal pain, gas pains or other type of pain. This is usually when the cancer has spread beyond the lining of the colon and there can be obstruction or partial obstruction of the colon. Abdominal pain doesn’t have to be a sign of bowel cancer but it merits evaluation by the doctor.
You can have the feeling like your bowels are not emptying completely. You can have small amounts of stool coming out at a time due to partial obstruction of the colon. You can go to the bathroom and have a bowel movement frequently but go only a small amount of stool.
You can have the feeling like your bowels are not emptying completely. You can have small amounts of stool coming out at a time due to partial obstruction of the colon. You can go to the bathroom and have a bowel movement frequently but go only a small amount of stool.
Weight Loss
You can begin to lose weight or can experience weakness or excessive fatigue. These are signs the cancer is invading the body systems. The cancer is large enough so that it is “eating away” at the metabolism of the individual and you feel drained of energy because the cancer is taking the energy away from vital organs.
If you have signs of bowel cancer, you should seek the advice of a doctor. X-rays may be obtained along with a colonoscopy to see if you have bowel cancer. Even if you are under the age of fifty, such a test might show early or mid-stage colon cancer. Doctors will then do tests like a CT scan to see if there is extensive involvement with bowel cancer. Surgery might be done to stage the cancer and to remove any large volumes of cancer in the large bowel.
- Colon Cancer Warning Signs - Knowing about colon cancer warning signs can possibly save your life. Some early colon cancer signs are blood in your stool, pain in your abdomen, fatigue etc. Some later symptoms are nausea and...
- Colon Cancer Symptoms - Early colon cancer symptoms are similar to symptoms of other stomach problems. Therefore diagnosis of this disease is not easy. If you are experiencing changes in your bowel habits that persist for more than 4 days it is a good idea to visit your doctor. Another common symptom is...
- Abdominal Pain Left Side - What does it mean to have abdominal pain left side? Abdominal pain can be a sign of various conditions ranging from heartburn and gallstones to colon cancer and hepatitis. In the case of colon cancer the symtoms may involve...
- Bowel Pain - Bowel pain is one of the symptoms for a number of medical problems, including colon cancer. Colorectal cancers often have no symptoms in the early stages until the cancer has progressed. Then bowel pain is likely. Rectal cancer usually occurs...
- Diverticulitis - Diverticulitis can give some symptoms similar to colon cancer, but only your doctor can really diagnose this disease. Diverticulitis results when small pouches in the digestive tract wall become inflamed. Diverticulas form when pressure inside the colon forces...
- Sleeping Problems - Sleeping problems are one of the most common side effects of colon cancer. If you have this problem try to build yourself up to your bedtime by doing relaxing activities such as getting a massage or taking a long bubble bath. Having adequate support will also help by clearing your head and releasing...
- Colon Cancer Causes Loss of Appetite - Colon cancer causes loss of appetite for various reasons. Even though you don’t feel like eating it is important that you keep up your food intake. Not doing so can cause you to lose valuable strength. Some techniques that might help you are to have someone else do the cooking and...
- Colorectal Cancer Symptoms - Knowing what the colorectal cancer symptoms are may save your life. Being educated on this subject is vital because it is the second most common cause of cancer related death in the entire United States. There are a number of factors that will determine whether or not you are at risk of developing colon cancer or rectal cancer some include...
- Symptoms of Rectal Cancer - Rectal and colon cancer symptoms are very similar and may not be obvious until after years of cancerous growth. The medical techniques to detect and remove rectal colon cancer polyps have greatly reduced the number of people who suffer from symptoms of rectal cancer. Some warning signs include...
- Rectum Cancer - What is the difference between colon cancer and rectal cancer? First off both cancers begin in the digestive system but rectal cancer is close to the anus and colon cancer is higher in the large intestine. Some symptoms of rectal cancer include...
- Left Side Stomach Pain - Left side stomach pain is a condition that can be harmless or it can mean something serious is going on. If left side abdominal pain means you have cancer, the doctor will do a colonoscopy. If cancer is found, surgery is done on the affected area and all...
- Bowel Cancer Symptoms - Bowel cancer refers to cancer arising out of the large colon or large bowel. Sometimes there are no bowel cancer symptoms and it is only through a colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy or a barium enema that cancer is discovered. If you see blood in the stool...
- Signs of Bowel Cancer = There are often no signs of bowel cancer in the early stages of the disease. This is partly why doctors are recommending that people at the age of fifty or older get a screening colonoscopy and get one at least every ten years after that.
