Scan for Color Changes Colon cancer can cause bleeding in the digestive tract and make your stool a dark brown, maroon, or black.
Most patients with bowel cancer present with one of the following symptom combinations: a persistent change in bowel habit, causing them to go to the toilet more often and pass looser stools, usually together with blood on or in their stools.
Stool tests.
Both polyps and colorectal cancers can bleed, and stool tests check for tiny amounts of blood in feces (stool) that cannot be seen visually. (Blood in stool may also indicate the presence of conditions that are not cancer, such as hemorrhoids.)
Stool DNA testing is used to screen for colon cancer in people with no symptoms. It also screens for growths of cells, called polyps, that could one day become cancer. The stool DNA test looks for DNA changes and small amounts of blood shed into the stool. These might come from colon cancer or colon polyps.
In some cases, however , narrow stools — especially if pencil thin — may be a sign of narrowing or obstruction of the colon due to colon cancer. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another condition that may cause changes in the size of your stools, so that they're smaller, larger or narrower than usual.
Thin stools are a sign of colon cancer. Any time you notice a narrow or ribbon-like stool, it indicates changes in your colon.
If early-stage colorectal cancer does cause symptoms, early warning signs may include sudden weight loss and/or narrow, ribbon-like stools. Other common early warning signs of colorectal cancer include: Rectal bleeding, either bright or dark red in color. Narrow stools.
Possible symptoms of bowel cancer
a lump that your doctor can feel in your back passage or tummy (abdomen), more commonly on the right side. a feeling of needing to strain in your back passage (as if you need to poo), even after opening your bowels. losing weight. pain in your abdomen or back passage.
While in many cases, there are no obvious symptoms with colon cancer, there are some that can be warning signs and should be discussed with your physician. These include: Any major change in bowel habits. Blood in the stool that is either bright red, black or tarry.
IBS symptoms mimic those of colon cancer, particularly altered bowel movements and pain. However, with IBS, individuals may find whitish mucus in their stool, which doesn't generally occur with colon cancer.
Colon cancer is typically slow-growing, starting as a benign polyp that eventually becomes malignant. This process may occur over many years without producing any symptoms. Once colon cancer has developed, it may still be years before it is detected.
The main test for bowel cancer is a colonoscopy. This is where a thin, flexible, tube with a camera is used to look inside your bowel. It may be uncomfortable but it should not be painful. You'll be offered a sedative and painkillers to help make you feel more comfortable.
Colorectal cancer can occur in young adults and teenagers, but the majority of colorectal cancers occur in people older than 50. For colon cancer, the average age at the time of diagnosis for men is 68 and for women is 72. For rectal cancer, it is age 63 for both men and women.
Unexplained Weight Loss
Sudden weight loss is often a symptom of several types of cancer, including colon cancer. Unintentional weight loss is the loss of 10 pounds or more in six months or less without knowing the reason. Colorectal cancer can lead to unexplained weight loss in a variety of ways.
Abdominal pain or bloating. Colon tumors can cause a blockage that makes it hard to fully empty your bowels. You can feel bloated and full as a result.
Fecal immunochemical test (FIT): This is an inexpensive, at-home, stool-based test that looks for proteins found in the blood. Blood in the stool could be a sign of colon cancer, and a positive FIT test would signal that you need to get a colonoscopy.