Symptoms of colon and rectal cancer

The symptoms of colon and rectal may include any of the following:

• blood in, or on, the stools (bowel motions) – the blood may be bright red or dark in colour
• a change in your normal bowel habit (such as diarrhoea or constipation) for no obvious reason, lasting for longer than six weeks
• unexplained weight loss
• pain in the tummy (abdomen) or back passage
• a feeling of not having emptied your bowel properly after a bowel motion.

Sometimes tiredness (fatigue)| is a symptom of colon and rectal cancer. This can happen if the cancer has been bleeding so the number of red blood cells is reduced (anaemia). Anaemia may also make you feel breathless. 

Sometimes the cancer can cause a blockage (obstruction) in the bowel. The symptoms of this are:

• being sick (vomiting)
• constipation
• pain in the abdomen
• a bloated feeling.

If you have symptoms that don’t improve within a few weeks, or if your symptoms are getting worse, it’s important that you’re referred to a specialist for tests to find out what the problem is.

 

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