Early Warning Signs Of Colon Cancer
Colon cancer starts in the large intestine, which is also referred to as the colon. Although it can develop in anyone, older adults are the ones who are most at risk of developing this type of cancer. This is why colonoscopies and other colon cancer screening tests are recommended regularly for individuals after they turn fifty years old. Those who have a family history will often need to start these tests earlier than that.
Many colon cancer patients undergo the standard cancer treatments of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. There are also other options to treat and even cure colon cancer, including surgery to remove part of the colon or resect the bowel. They may also need targeted drug therapy or radiofrequency ablation to treat colon cancer. In some cases, the colon cancer treatment regimen chosen varies based on the symptoms a patient displays.
Change In Bowel Habits
One of the first warning signs individuals will usually notice when it comes to colon cancer is a change in their bowel habits. This change has to last for longer than a few days. For instance, diarrhea does not always mean colon cancer. One day of diarrhea could mean something as simple as someone just ate something that did not agree with their stomach. But diarrhea, constipation, and stool narrowing for longer than a few days, such as for a week or two, could mean an individual has colon cancer. However, individuals will need to undergo colon cancer screening and other tests to identify a cause.
Other symptoms being present is also important in diagnosing colon cancer. Find out more about these symptoms now.
Unexplained Weight Loss
Individuals suffering from colon cancer will likely find that they lose weight without trying to do so. Unexplained weight loss means that individuals are not actively dieting or otherwise working to lose weight. However, weight loss occurs due to colon cancer for several reasons. Individuals may not feel well and will not have an appetite. Not eating as much means they are not taking in as many calories, which triggers subsequent weight loss.
In addition to this, colon cancer also means polyps will grow in the colon. In some cases, these growths can block part of the intestine. This will often slow down a patient's digestion, which means they will feel full faster after smaller amounts of food. Once again, this means that they are not taking in as many calories, and thus their body has to draw on their stored fat, triggering weight loss.
Get more information on the warning signs that are associated with colon cancer now.
Blood In The Stool
Blood in the stool is a severe symptom of colon cancer. It is a huge sign that something is very wrong at this point. It is the result of the tumor or growths in the colon causing irritation and often breaking the skin and bleeding. However, many individuals can miss this sign because blood in the stool appears in a few ways.
The easiest to spot is bright red spots in the stool. Everyone knows that this means blood. However, bright red blood only appears in the stool because of colon cancer if an individual's growth is near the end of their colon. It means the stool does not have the time to absorb the blood, leaving it bright red. But if the tumor is causing irritation earlier in the colon, the stool can absorb the blood before it leaves the body. This is when the stool can appear quite dark or even black. Though this still means there is blood in it, which many individuals do not realize.
Continue reading to uncover more details on colon cancer warning signs now.
Feeling The Bowel Doesn't Completely Empty
Tumors and polyps will often grow to some degree when an individual has colon cancer. In many cases of colon cancer, these tumors can press in ways that make it seem like the individual still needs to go to the bathroom even if they just did. In other words, the tumors put pressure on the colon or rectal area, making it feel like the bowel did not completely empty. This often forces individuals to return to the bathroom a short while later and attempt to evacuate their bowels again, even though nothing else may come out.
Learn more about the early symptoms linked to colon cancer now.
Abdominal Pain
The polyps and tumors in an individual's colon can cause them quite a high degree of abdominal pain. Of course, the location of this pain is because the colon is in the abdominal area. The pain often occurs because the tumor or polyps can increase pressure in this area. In some cases of colon cancer, individuals experience such intense abdominal pain that they say at one point they believed that they had a stomach ulcer. In the beginning, the abdominal pain due to colon cancer is more likely to be described as abdominal discomfort. The polyps and tumor take time to grow, and the pain will usually increase with it. This means that there is time for individuals to get treatment and stop the pain from getting worse. There may not be much time, but there is some!
