by Sophia Ryzhikov

Created on: April 16, 2009

Early signs of colorectal cancer depend on the site of the tumor. Some of the early changes include changes in the frequency of bowel movements or in the consistency of bowel movement, especially in someone over 50 years of age. A person may also complain of abdominal pain, loss of appetite, blood in the feces, rectal discomfort or a sensation of incomplete emptying. Any changes should be reported to the doctor, so that necessary diagnosis and screening can be performed.

The early changes associated with colorectal cancer are sometimes confused with the symptoms of hemorrhoids. If there is a heavy loss of blood from the rectum, anemia may result. As the tumor grows bigger, it may eventually cause intestinal obstruction. Consult the doctor if you see change in bowel habits or blood in the bowel movement. Left untreated, the cancer will eventually spread via the blood stream to the lymph nodes, liver, and other organs in the body.

If abdominal pain, blood in stool and changes in the stool are detected and reported by the patient, it will prompt a rectal examination, in which the physician will try to feel for any lumps by a gloved finger in the rectum. A stool sample will also be tested for the presence of blood, and a blood sample will be tested for anemia.

If there is a reason for concern, then a physician will perform a colonoscopy, in which a flexible viewing instrument is used to examine the entire colon. In the case of any abnormal findings, a biopsy may be taken during the colonoscopy. Another procedure performed is a contrast X-ray, in which a barium enema is used to detect an abnormality of the rectum or colon. If a cancerous tumor is detected, you will likely need to have CT scanning to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the abdomen or the liver.

Occult blood found when fecal test is performed is also indicative of early signs associated with colorectal cancer. The feces may be examined for occult blood, which can indicate a disorder that causes bleeding from the digestive tract, such as a peptic ulcer, polyps in the colon, or colorectal cancer. The test is usually repeated several times over a period of several days because blood may not appear in every sample. If blood is found in the feces, other tests may be done to look for the cause, including endoscopy of the digestive tract and contrast X-rays to look for ulcers or tumors.

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