What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
Some of the most common symptoms of colon cancer are changes in bowel habits and blood in the stool. However, the early stages of colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous changes like colon polyps often don’t cause any symptoms.
Because you may not have symptoms and many digestive conditions cause symptoms similar to colon cancer, screening and early detection are essential to caring for your health. With colon cancer screenings, it’s possible not only to detect and treat colon cancer but also to prevent it.
Early symptoms of colon cancer
When colon cancer is in its earliest stages, you may not have any apparent symptoms. However, it’s important to be aware of the early signs of colon cancer. That way, you can be proactive in caring for your digestive health.
Loss of appetite
The digestive symptoms of colon cancer, such as changes in bowel habits, often lead to a loss of appetite. As colon cancer grows, it can also make you feel full even when you haven’t eaten much food.
Fatigue and weakness
While occasional fatigue happens for many reasons, colon cancer may cause ongoing exhaustion, fatigue and weakness. This type of fatigue doesn’t get better with rest or additional sleep.
Unintentional weight loss
Many changes caused by colon cancer lead to unintentional weight loss. For example, ongoing symptoms like diarrhea often make you feel like not eating as much. Changes such as increased inflammation or effects on your digestive enzymes can impact the way your body uses nutrients.
Systemic symptoms of colon cancer
Along with digestive symptoms, colon cancer may cause systemic symptoms. Systemic symptoms happen when cancer spreads outside the digestive system and begins to affect other areas of the body and its ability to function as it should. These initial systemic symptoms are similar across many types of cancer.
As colon cancer grows and spreads, it changes how you absorb nutrients, increases inflammation, leads to other conditions like anemia, or affects normal hormone levels. As a result, some of the most common systemic symptoms of colon cancer are weight loss, changes in appetite and general fatigue or weakness.
Types of advanced symptoms:
Advanced-stage colon cancer
Symptoms of advanced-stage colon cancer happen when the cancer continues to spread in the body. These symptoms are more common when the cancer has reached colon cancer stages 3 and 4. If you’ve had other early-stage or systemic signs of colon cancer, you may continue to have those along with additional advanced-stage symptoms.
During the advanced stages of colon cancer, cancer cells develop in multiple areas throughout the body. This includes vital organs like your lungs and liver or the bones. The types of advanced symptoms you have will depend on the parts of the body that are affected by the spreading cancer cells.
Symptoms of colon cancer
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Feeling like the bowel doesn’t empty
- Blood in the stool
- Sudden weight loss
- Intense fatigue
Symptoms of IBS
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating and gas
- Mucus in the stool
Colon cancer symptoms vs. IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome, known as IBS, is one of the most common sources of digestive discomfort. It causes a range of symptoms from mild discomfort to severe issues that get in the way of everyday life. Sometimes, people with IBS experience periods of more intense symptoms, called flare-ups, that come and go.
You may not know the difference between symptoms caused by IBS and symptoms caused by something more severe like colon cancer, especially in its early stages. That’s why it is important to talk with your doctor if you have ongoing digestive symptoms.
While colon cancer and IBS have similar symptoms, there are also some differences. Your doctor can help you understand those differences.
When should I see a doctor for symptoms of colon cancer?
It’s better to see a doctor for colon cancer symptoms and rectal cancer symptoms sooner rather than later. While another digestive condition may be causing your symptoms, you should get checked for any colon cancer symptoms.
Listening to your body and talking to your doctor about new symptoms increases your ability to catch colon cancer early. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, you should still ask your doctor about colon cancer screenings, like a colonoscopy.
A colonoscopy is one of the best ways to detect colon cancer sooner. It also allows your doctor to remove colon polyps before they can turn into cancer.
Our locations near you
We help you get care at a location that fits your needs. We offer several locations for your care, including digestive care and colon cancer screenings in North and Central Texas.
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