Symptoms of Colon Cancer
Typically, colon cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms in a polyp. But as it grows and spreads, colon cancer can cause symptoms like:
- Abdominal pain or cramping
- Blood in your stools
- Constipation
- Dark or black stool
- Diarrhea
- Feeling like you need to have a bowel movement, even after you have one
- Thin stool
- Unexplained weight loss
- Weakness, tiredness or fatigue
If you have any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor. They can perform tests to help you find out the cause of your symptoms.
Colon Cancer Risk Factors
Your genetics, environment and lifestyle can influence your risk for colon cancer. You might be at a higher risk for colon cancer if you have one of these risk factors:
- African American or Native American ethnicity
- Drinking more than two drinks per day as a man or one drink per day as a woman
- Eating a large amount of animal fat, such as red meat
- Eating too little calcium or fiber
- Family history of colon cancer, especially if your parent, sibling or child has colon cancer
- Frequent exposure to chlorine or asbestos
- A gastrointestinal condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
- Lack of physical activity
- Obesity
- Personal history of colon polyps or colon cancer, uterus cancer or breast cancer
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
At Ellis Medicine, we highly recommend all adults undergo their recommended colon cancer screenings according to their personal level of risk. These screenings can catch cancer before you show any symptoms, while it is still easy to remove and treat. A screening could save your life.