Colon cancer affects the large intestine, also known as the colon. This is the lower portion of the digestive tract, and more than 110,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with colon cancer each year. The symptoms of colon cancer mimic other conditions in many cases, and often do not show until the disease has progressed to a more advanced stage. Most colon cancers begin as small polyps in the intestine that produce no symptoms, making regular check-ups for colon cancer a high priority for people over 50.
Significance
The most common symptom of colon cancer is the presence of blood in the stool. As fecal matter passes through the colon, it can come into contact with a growing cancerous tumor, causing it to bleed. This blood will then show up in the stool when it is passed. However, many other medical conditions can cause blood in the stool. Hemorrhoids and anal fissures, which are minute rips in the rectum, will make blood appear when someone goes to the bathroom. It is always important to find out what is causing this bleeding to occur, since it is the best indicator a person will have that they have colon cancer.
Effects
Changes in bowel habits can also be symptoms of colon cancer. These include such things as narrowing of your stool and constipation. The narrowing effect could be due to the presence of a tumor in the colon. This symptom comes about as the tumor makes it harder for waste to pass through the bowel, changing it into a narrower stool over time. The constipation, likewise, is a symptom of colon cancer that occurs when the tumor becomes large enough to block the colon significantly, not allowing stool to pass easily. Unfortunately, these symptoms usually happen when the disease has reached an advanced stage.
Misconceptions
Some colon cancer symptoms are much less ominous and can be mistaken for other medical problems. Stomach cramps can result from the tumor pressuring the walls of the colon, but since they are normally associated with bouts of diarrhea and constipation, they may be overlooked as a warning sign. Weight loss from the actual tumor affecting appetite will be very difficult to pinpoint as a colon cancer symptom, but it is one. Fatigue precipitated by the cancer will not be attributed to a problem developing in the colon unless other signs and symptoms are also present.
Types
Colon cancer can make people feel like they have to have a bowel movement. However, when they try to do so, they are often unable to, especially when the tumor is in the lower end of the colon. The tumor can cause gas to become trapped, which eventually is released in greater amounts than normal. The obstructing tumor will cause nausea and even vomiting, sometimes on a regular basis.
Another type of symptom of colon cancer involves anemia. The tumor that develops in the right side of the colon, where there is more room than on the left, will grow more rapidly. It can then bleed for a long time without being detected, causing the loss of red blood cells that result in anemia.
Identification
There are many tests that can be utilized to identify the presence of colon cancer. Stool can be analyzed by a stool blood test or by a stool DNA test, but these are not 100 percent accurate in all cases. Colonoscopies and a flexible sigmoidoscopy can send narrow lighted tubes with mounted cameras into the colon to search for irregularities. A barium enema is a test that those with colon cancer symptoms will more than likely undergo. It involves a contrast dye of barium being sent into the bowel and air added to the region to allow an X-ray of the colon to show anything that may be wrong within it.
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