     
Symptoms of colorectal cancer |
During the early stages of colorectal cancer development, when the tumor is either a small benign (noncancerous) polyp or has grown into a small cancer, there are usually no symptoms. Often, the first clue that a colonic polyp or cancer exists is obtained when a physician routinely screens a patient’s stool for the presence of microscopic amounts of blood, amounts too small to be seen by the naked eye. This test, called fecal occult blood testing, can be done either when a physician performs a digital rectal examination and smears a small amount of stool on a Hemoccult IIâ test card or by the patient when a small amount of evacuated stool is placed on the test card and it is brought into the doctor’s office for processing. Occasionally, the first clue to the presence of colorectal cancer is the presence of small amounts of blood seen mixed in with the stool by the patient. Most often, such bleeding is due to benign or non-cancerous causes such as hemorrhoids, but in all cases this symptoms should be brought to the attention of a physician. Anemia (low red blood cell count) develops when the amount of gastrointestinal bleeding exceeds the body’s ability to replenish the blood loss or when the blood loss has been occurring over a long period of time such that body stores of iron (an essential component of red blood cells) have become depleted. Mild anemia is often without symptoms (asymptomatic) and is frequently detected by a routine blood count test at the doctor’s office. When anemia has progressed and the red blood cell count has dropped significantly, symptoms begin to develop and may include dizziness, unexplained fatigue or tiredness, and shortness of breath. When there is insufficient blood to carry oxygen to the heart, chest pain or angina may occur or in cases of severe anemia, a heart attack or myocardial infarction can occur. Similarly, profound anemia and insufficient oxygen to the brain can cause neurologic symptoms such as focal weakness or numbness in an extremity, slurred speech, seizures, severe dizziness, stroke, or loss of consciousness. If the tumor has grown to a large size and has begun to obstruct the normal flow of bowel contents in the colon or rectum symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, abdominal distention, vomiting, or narrowing of the caliber of the stool. Occasionally, patients may present with chronic or intermittent diarrhea. Another important warning sign is a prolonged decrease in appetite leading to substantial and unexplained weight loss. While there can be many other causes of weight loss, this can be an important early warning sign of cancer and should be brought to the attention of a physician.
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| Last modified: 07/31/97 | Send comments or questions to: CR Mailbox |
