Colon Cancer Early Symptoms

Cancer is a group of more than 100 different diseases that affect our body’s basic unit, the cell. When cancer occurs, the cells become abnormal and divide without any control or specific order. Normally, cells divide to produce new cells only when the body requires them. However, if cells continue dividing when new cells are not required, a mass of tissue forms. This mass of tissue, called a growth or tumor, can be benign or malignant. It is essential to note that benign tumors are not cancer while malignant tumors are cancer.

Colon cancer or colorectal cancer, as the name suggests, affects the colon, a part of the digestive system where the waste material is stored. Tumors of the colon and rectum are growths arising from the inner walls of the large intestine. Benign tumors of the large intestine are called polyps while malignant tumors are cancers. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time. Colorectal cancer can invade and damage adjacent tissues and organs. The spread of the colon cancer to distant organs is known as the metastasis of the colon cancer and once metastasis occurs, a complete cure is unlikely.

Detecting colon cancer through early symptoms help treatment

The symptoms of colon cancer are numerous and non-specific. They include:

• Fatigue and weakness: The presence of a tumor causes anemia, iron deficiency that can make you feel extremely tired or lethargic.
  
• Shortness of breath


• Change in bowel habits, narrow stools, diarrhea or constipation: A tumor that is large enough to cause a bowel obstruction may lead to constipation, restrict blood flow and constipation. Any one or all the three of these underlying symptoms may also result in nausea and vomiting.


• Red or dark blood in stools: Tumors tend to bleed that may show up in your stool. If the tumor is in the beginning of the colon, the blood may be virtually invisible in the waste. However, if the tumor is in the rectum or toward the end of the colon, it may show up as bright red in the waste which is a clear sign of the cancer.


• Unexplained weight loss: Many of us would not want to understand why we are losing weight without any effort or reason. However, effortless weight loss is a sign that something is wrong. Unexplained weight loss could mean that the tumor is releasing chemicals that increase your metabolism.


• Bloating: A tumor that grows toward the end of the colon may cause a sense of fullness. The body senses the tumor as a stubborn piece of waste and you get that ‘I still have to go’ sensation that can’t be relieved.


• Abdominal pain or cramps: Sometimes a tumor causes a bowel obstruction, which blocks the colon. Depending on the severity of the blockage, solids, liquids and even gas may be prevented from passing by, resulting in severe abdominal pain or cramps. Painful cramps indicate that a tumor has poked through the bowel wall, which can be a medical emergency.

Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis and peptic ulcers have symptoms that are similar to colon cancer. Depending on where in the large bowel, the tumor is located the symptoms may vary accordingly. As the right colon is spacious, cancers of the right colon grow to large sizes before they cause abdominal pain. However, it is important to note that colon cancer can grow for years before showing any symptoms. The next best thing to colon cancer prevention is early diagnosis. When the colon cancer symptoms in a person are detected earlier on, they have a better chance of survival to someone who has already reached the far end of the disease.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and making lifestyle changes can help prevent cancer. Research suggests that smoking cessation, decreased alcohol intake, maintenance of a healthy weight, exercise and dietary supplements help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Eat right, exercise regularly and lead a healthy lifestyle. God forbid, if you detect the aforementioned symptoms please consult a doctor immediately. Remember that ‘Prevention is better than cure’. Healthy living is happy living!