Colon Cancer Warning Signs

Most colon cancer warning signs do not manifest until the disease becomes very advanced. Colon screening is the best way to catch colon cancer in its earlier stages. Colon cancer warning signs are also signs of other colon issues, such as hemorrhoids and irritable bowel disease (IBD).

If you exhibit any of the signs, especially if there are others in your immediate family, parents, brothers, sisters or grandparents, that have or had bowel cancer, you should get your colon checked immediately.

Colon Cancer Symptoms
Some people may have many of the signs of colon cancer, but some may only exhibit one or two of the symptoms. Cancer attacks weakened bodies, so if you are already prone to infections, and show only one of the symptoms, you should get yourself checked.

Signs of colon cancer include:

• Bright red blood in the stool or stool that is very dark in color
• Change in bowel habits: constipation, diarrhea or narrowing of the stool for no reason that lasts for more than three days
• Bloating, fullness
• Continual need to move the bowels, but very little stool production
• Cramping that lasts for more than a few days
• Frequent gas pain
• Constant fatigue
• Feeling like the bowel has not completely emptied
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakened feeling

The most common test to check for colon cancer is a colonoscopy, but if the doctor finds something out of the ordinary, he will do a biopsy at the same time. The doctor may also require blood tests to check your complete blood count (CBC). This tells the doctor if you are anemic, which is also a sign of colon cancer. The tumor could bleed constantly, causing a drop in red blood cells.

Treatment usually involves surgery to remove tumors, followed by chemotheraphy for colon cancer to prevent new tumors from growing. If the disease is advanced, removal of a part of the colon may be the only option.