What are the symptoms of rectal cancer?
A few common symptoms of rectal cancer are bowel habit changes, rectal bleeding and blood in the stool. But often, colorectal cancer—including rectal cancer—doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages.
Most of the time, rectal cancer starts with pre-cancerous rectal polyps. If these polyps are caught and removed early, you can prevent rectal cancer from developing. That’s why it’s so important to have routine rectal cancer screenings, such as a colonoscopy, even when you don’t have any signs or symptoms of the condition.
Early symptoms of rectal cancer
Especially early on, rectal cancer may not cause any symptoms at all. When symptoms start to appear, some of the most common early signs are changes in bowel habits, narrowing of the stool, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, and abdominal pain.
It may be hard to tell the difference between symptoms caused by early rectal cancer and those caused by other digestive conditions. Occasional digestive upset is common for most people. Ongoing digestive symptoms could be a sign of not only rectal cancer but also irritable bowel syndrome, infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, hemorrhoids, and more.
When you have these common digestive symptoms, it’s likely that rectal cancer isn’t the cause. However, you should still talk to your doctor and be proactive about caring for your digestive health.
Systemic rectal cancer symptoms
Systemic rectal cancer symptoms happen when rectal cancer affects other areas in your body beyond just the digestive system. These symptoms are more common as cancer progresses past the earliest stages and is no longer contained in the rectum. Many systemic rectal cancer symptoms are similar to symptoms you might have with other types of cancer.
When cancer spreads in the body, it might affect how you digest food and use nutrients, change the levels of certain hormones or increase inflammation. As these changes occur, you may experience symptoms that affect your entire body, such as weight loss, weakness or fatigue.
Unintentional weight loss
Several changes in your body caused by rectal cancer could lead to losing weight when you don’t mean to. Digestive discomfort may make you eat less, or your body may not be able to absorb nutrients as it should due to inflammation or metabolism changes.
Fatigue and weakness
The fatigue and weakness caused by rectal cancer are persistent and don’t improve when you get extra sleep or rest. You may feel completely drained. Sometimes, rectal cancer leads to anemia, which also contributes to fatigue.
Loss of appetite
With rectal cancer, you may feel like you become fuller faster or do not want to eat as much. Symptoms like diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain often cause people with rectal cancer to have a reduced appetite.
Advanced-stage rectal cancer symptoms
When rectal cancer spreads to distant body areas, you could begin to have advanced-stage rectal cancer symptoms. These symptoms often develop along with previous digestive-related signs or systemic symptoms. During advanced rectal cancer stages, such as stage 4, cancer cells begin to affect other organs and their ability to function correctly.
The exact advanced-stage rectal cancer symptoms you have depend on which organs or areas of the body are affected by cancer. However, some common locations where symptoms develop with advanced rectal cancer are in the bones, liver or lungs.
Rectal cancer vs. hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are a common rectal condition that happens when veins in the rectum become swollen and irritated. Both rectal cancer and hemorrhoids share a common symptom—rectal bleeding. Because rectal cancer doesn’t cause many symptoms in its earliest stages, it might be hard to know when bleeding is caused by hemorrhoids or something more serious like cancer.
While hemorrhoids are more commonly the cause of rectal bleeding than rectal cancer, you should always let your doctor know if you’re bleeding or notice any blood in the stool. This is especially true if you have other symptoms in addition to rectal bleeding.
Early symptoms of rectal cancer
- Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool
- Abdominal pain
- Changes in bowel habits, like constipation or diarrhea
- Narrowing of stool
- Feeling like the bowel doesn’t fully empty
Symptoms of hemorrhoids
- Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool
- Pain, especially after a bowel movement
- Itching or irritation in the rectum
- Thrombosed hemorrhoid (when a blood clot forms within an external hemorrhoid as a lump around the anus)
When should I see a doctor for symptoms of rectal cancer?
The right time to see a doctor for symptoms of rectal or colon cancer is when you have any symptoms lasting more than a few days. Your symptoms are likely caused by a digestive condition other than rectal cancer, but getting checked is still a good idea.
Talking to your doctor about your digestive symptoms helps you get to the source of your symptoms and is a great way to learn about the tests or screenings you may need. Even if you aren’t having symptoms, a routine colorectal cancer screening, like a colonoscopy, can give you peace of mind about your digestive health and prevent rectal cancer from developing.
Our locations near you
We offer several locations for your care, including locations specializing in rectal cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment in North and Central Texas.
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