What are the main symptoms of colon cancer?

What are the main symptoms of colorectal cancer? Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract. It seriously endangers the physical and mental health of patients and brings great pain to patients. Many people cannot get timely and effective treatment for colorectal cancer because they do not really understand colorectal cancer. In order to detect and treat colorectal cancer in time, we need to have a clear understanding of the symptoms of colorectal cancer.

The main symptoms of bowel cancer are:

(I) Early symptoms:

In the earliest stage, there may be abdominal distension, discomfort, and indigestion-like symptoms, followed by changes in bowel habits, such as increased bowel movements, diarrhea or constipation, and abdominal pain before defecation. Later, there may be mucus in the stool or mucopurulent blood in the stool.

(ii) Abdominal mass:

It is a tumor or a mass that has infiltrated and adhered to the omentum and surrounding tissues. It is hard and irregular in shape. Some of them can have a certain degree of mobility along the intestinal tract. In the late stage, the tumor infiltration is more severe and the mass may be fixed.

(III) Symptoms of poisoning:

Due to blood loss and toxin absorption from tumor ulceration, patients often experience anemia, low fever, fatigue, weight loss, edema and other symptoms, especially anemia and weight loss.

(IV) Symptoms of intestinal obstruction:

Symptoms of incomplete or complete low intestinal obstruction include abdominal distension, abdominal pain (swelling pain or colic), constipation or constipation. Physical examination shows abdominal distension, intestinal type, local tenderness, and strong bowel sounds.

(V) Late stage manifestations:

There are signs of liver metastasis such as jaundice, ascites, edema, as well as cachexia, a mass in the anterior rectal fossa, and enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes, which are manifestations of distant tumor spread and metastasis.

Most colorectal cancer patients are middle-aged or older, with a median age of 45 years old, and about 5% of patients are under 30 years old.

The clinical manifestations of colorectal cancer vary depending on the size, location and pathological type of the lesion. Many patients with early colorectal cancer may have no clinical symptoms, but as the disease progresses and the lesion continues to grow, a series of common symptoms of colorectal cancer may occur, such as increased frequency of bowel movements, blood and mucus in the stool, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, intestinal obstruction, general fatigue, weight loss and anemia. The entire colon is divided into two parts, the right colon and the left colon, by the middle of the transverse colon. The clinical manifestations of these two parts of cancer do have their own characteristics, which are described as follows:

1. Left-sided intestinal cancer

The left colon has a narrower lumen, and the stool in the intestine becomes dry and hard due to water absorption. Most left-side colon cancers are invasive, often causing annular stenosis, so the clinical manifestations are mainly acute and chronic intestinal obstruction. The tumor is small in size, with less ulceration and bleeding, and no toxin absorption, so anemia, weight loss, cachexia and other phenomena are rare, and it is not easy to palpate the tumor.

1. Blood or mucus in stool

As the stool in the left colon gradually takes shape, blood and mucus are not mixed with the stool. In about 25% of patients, blood and mucus can be seen in the stool by naked eye.

2. Difficulty in defecation

Half of the patients have this symptom, and as the disease progresses, constipation becomes more severe. If the tumor is located lower, there may also be difficulty in defecation and a feeling of tenesmus.

3. Abdominal cramps

It is the main manifestation of intestinal obstruction associated with cancer. Obstruction can occur suddenly, with abdominal cramps, accompanied by abdominal distension, hyperperistalsis, constipation and obstructed gas discharge; chronic obstruction is manifested by abdominal distension, paroxysmal abdominal pain, hyperactive bowel sounds, constipation, blood and mucus in the stool, and partial intestinal obstruction sometimes lasts for several months before turning into complete intestinal obstruction.

2. Right Intestine Cancer

The right colon cavity is enlarged, and the stool in the intestine is liquid. The cancer in this section of the intestine is mostly ulcerous or cauliflower-shaped cancer that protrudes into the intestinal cavity. There is rarely annular stenosis, so obstruction does not often occur. However, these cancers often rupture and bleed, and secondary infections are accompanied by toxin absorption. Therefore, clinically, there may be abdominal pain, changes in size, abdominal mass, anemia, weight loss or cachexia.

1. Anemia and cachexia

About 30% of patients develop anemia due to continuous bleeding from cancer rupture, and also experience weight loss, limb weakness, and even systemic cachexia.

2. Changes in stool

In the early stage, the stool is thin, contains pus and blood, and the frequency of defecation increases, which is related to the formation of cancer ulcers. When the tumor volume increases, it affects the passage of stool, and diarrhea and constipation may occur alternately. The amount of bleeding is small, and it is fully mixed with stool as the colon moves, which is not easy to see with the naked eye, but the occult blood test is often positive.

3. Abdominal mass

More than half of the patients will find abdominal masses when they see a doctor. This mass may be the cancer itself, or it may be a mass formed by extraintestinal infiltration and adhesion. The former is more regular in shape and has clear outlines; the latter is less regular in shape. The mass is generally hard in texture, and once secondary infection occurs, it is limited in movement and tender.

4. Abdominal pain and discomfort

About 75% of patients have abdominal discomfort or dull pain, which is intermittent at first and then becomes continuous, often located in the right lower abdomen, which is very similar to chronic appendicitis. If the tumor is located in the hepatic flexure and the stool is dry and hard, colic may also occur, which should be distinguished from chronic cholecystitis. About 50% of patients have loss of appetite, fullness, belching, nausea and vomiting.

Through the above explanation, we know the main symptoms of colorectal cancer. I believe everyone has a certain understanding of the symptoms of colorectal cancer. If you have symptoms of suspected colorectal cancer, you must go to a relevant regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time. I hope this article can help you or your friends. This article is for reference only. If you have other questions about colorectal cancer, please consult our experts online.

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