Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer That You Should Not Ignore
Early-stage colon cancer generally does not show symptoms that are so meaningful. As a result, many people fail to get a diagnosis early, so the cancer may have already spread and treated late.
Therefore, it is important to recognize the symptoms of colon cancer so that the treatment can be done better and more effectively.
What are the signs and symptoms of colon cancer to watch out for?
In general, symptoms of colon cancer can include one or more of the following conditions:
- Changes in texture and faecal density that last for more than four weeks. For example, your stool is too hard which causes constipation or too runny, causing diarrhea.
- The feeling that you have to defecate but not get relief afterwards..
- Bloody anus.
- Bloody bowel movements.
- Stomach cramps, bloating, or constant pain.
- The body feels tired and not excited.
- Drastic weight loss for no apparent reason.
Symptoms of bowel cancer can also cause bleeding. This sometimes results in a change in the color of your stool that will appear darker. Even so, some people who experience bleeding also often look normal stool. Bleeding that occurs due to colon cancer usually occurs slowly and accumulates over time, causing a decrease in the number of red blood cells (anemia).
Sometimes the most typical symptoms of colon cancer are found when a patient has a blood test. From the results of blood tests it is known that the number of patients’ red blood cells is low. Unfortunately, low red blood cell counts can also be caused by conditions other than colon cancer. If you have an infection, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel disease, your blood test results may show low red blood cells.
Therefore, if you experience one or several symptoms of colon cancer as mentioned above, do not hesitate to see a doctor immediately. Especially if the symptoms you complain about are severe, last long, and change over time. However, many people with colon cancer do not have any symptoms until the disease develops, so someone needs to be screened regularly.
By being aware of the symptoms of colon cancer, you can detect this disease early. The earlier the disease is detected, the easier the treatment to be carried out and the greater the patient’s chances of recovery.
Symptoms of colon cancer that has spread (metastasis:
Symptoms of colon cancer that has spread (metastasis) depend on the location where the cancer spreads, the size, and location of tumors in the body. Metastatic colon cancer patients are not always aware of the symptoms before diagnosis.
If the bones are affected, symptoms can include pain, fractures, constipation or decreased alertness due to high calcium levels.
If the lungs are affected, symptoms can include shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, coughing, pain in the chest wall, or extreme fatigue.
If the liver is affected, symptoms can include nausea, extreme fatigue, increased abdominal thickness, swelling of the soles of the feet and hands due to fluid buildup, and itchy or yellowing of the skin.
If the brain or spinal cord is affected, symptoms can include pain, confusion, memory loss, headache, double vision or blurred, difficulty speaking, difficulty moving or spasms.