Signs and Symptoms of Colon Cancer

When something goes wrong with the digestive system, it usually makes itself known pretty quickly, through pain or discomfort. Common problems are upset stomach, constipation, and diarrhea, which are usually not serious and don’t last long.

Unfortunately, colon or rectal cancer may generate few or no symptoms in the early stages. Colon cancer grows slowly, does not usually interfere with function in early stages, and can remain undetected for some time. This is bad news; by the time symptoms are noticeable, colon cancer may be advanced.

Many symptoms of colon cancer that do show up could be related to other digestive issues. If they are related to colon cancer, the disease could be advanced beyond early stages. Therefore, signs or symptoms of digestive problems that last more than a few weeks should be discussed with your doctor.

Possible symptoms of colon cancer include:

* a change from usual bowel habits and appearance, such as constipation, diarrhea, or extremely narrow stools, that lasts for 10 days or more
* bright red blood in the stools or black, tarry stools, which can be a sign of rectal or intestinal bleeding
* pain or tenderness in the lower abdomen that doesn’t go away
* bloating, cramps, or gas pains
* a feeling that the rectum isn’t completely empty after bowel movements
* loss of appetite and weight
* anemia, which can be a sign of blood loss from intestinal bleeding
* vomiting
* persistent fatigue, paleness, and heart palpitations, which can be signs of anemia
* inability to pass stools at all for more than a week. This can signal an intestinal blockage, which is an emergency situation.

Posted from John's Hopkins University

Can dietary fiber help prevent colorectal cancer ?

The issue of whether dietary fiber can help prevent colorectal cancer has always been unclear, as studies have reached inconsistent results. Now a study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Volume 102, page 614) suggests that the type of dietary assessment tools used in these studies might be to blame.

Researchers in the United Kingdom compared data from 579 people who developed colorectal cancer and 1,996 people who did not develop colorectal cancer. Some of the participants kept four-or seven-day food diaries in which they recorded what they ate, and others filled out a food frequency questionnaire detailing their usual diet.

In the food diary group, people who consumed 24 g of dietary fiber per day had a 30% lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who ate 10 g per day. This association remained even after the researchers adjusted for other risk factors such as age, physical activity, alcohol intake, and red meat consumption. However, the same analysis performed on the food frequency questionnaires did not find the same association.

Take-away message. Since food diaries are thought to be more accurate than food frequency questionnaires, this study supports the idea that higher dietary fiber intake can reduce colorectal cancer risk. Other studies using different parameters and assessment tools, such as food frequency questionnaires, may have reached inaccurate or inconclusive results.