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Colorectal Cancer Health Center
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Understanding Colorectal Cancer - Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer?
In its early stage, colorectal cancer usually produces no symptoms. The most likely warning signs include:
- Changes in bowel movements, including persistent constipation or diarrhea, a feeling of not being able to empty the bowel completely, or rectal bleeding
- Dark patches of blood in or on stool; or long, thin, "pencil stools"
- Abdominal discomfort or bloating
- Unexplained fatigue, or loss of appetite or weight
Call Your Doctor About Colorectal Cancer If:
- You notice a change in your bowel movements, experience bleeding from the rectum, or notice blood in or on your stool. Don't assume you have hemorrhoids; your doctor will most likely perform a rectal examination and possibly a sigmoidoscopy or schedule a colonoscopy -- an examination that involves a long flexible tube inserted in your rectum.
- You experience persistent abdominal pain, unusual weight loss, or fatigue. These symptoms may be due to other causes, but they could also be linked to cancer.
- You are diagnosed with anemia. In determining its cause, your doctor should check for bleeding from the digestive tract because of colorectal cancer.
WebMD Medical Reference
Reviewed by
Clarence Sarkodee-Adoo, MD on November 25, 2008
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
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