Early Warning Signs & Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer has usually reached an advanced stage by the time it starts causing signs and symptoms. But small, curable cancers and even precancerous colonoscopy polyps procedures occasionally do act up as well.

Check your stools before flushing, and see your doctor right away if you notice any blood, which can range in color from bright red to almost black. Note that eating a red food, such as beets or red licorice, can also tint the stools for up to several days after the meal. And iron supplements as well as preparations containing bismuth subsalicylate, such as Pepto-Bismol, can color the stools black.

You should also see your doctor if any of the following symptoms of possible colorectal colon cancer lasts more than a week or so:

Diarrhea, constipation, or narrow stools.

A feeling that you haven't emptied your bowels completely.

Cramping, bloating, flatulence, or steady abdominal pain.

	A change in bowel habits.
	Blood in stool.
	Narrowed stools.
	Fullness feeling or stomach cramps.
	A feeling that the bowel doesn't empty completely.
	Unexplained weight loss.
	Anemia of unknown cause, weakness, and fatigue.

An urgent, painful feeling that you need to defecate.

An urgent, painful feeling that you need to defecate.

Very dark, mahogany red or bright red blood in or on the feces.

  10 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR COLORECTAL CANCER RISK

  1. Reduce total fat intake to 25 percent or less of calories. A woman weighing 140 pounds with a calorie intake  of 1,700 can meet this guideline by limiting daily fat intake to 47 grams. For a man weighing 160 pounds with a calorie intake of 2,200, 62 grams is the guideline.   
 2. Reduce red meat intake; substitute skinless poultry and fish.
 3. Eat at least two servings of fruit and four servings of vegetables each day.
 4. Eat at least four servings of fiber-rich grain products (like whole-wheat bread or bran cereal) daily.
 5. Include regular servings of raw cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower).
 6. Include regular servings of calcium-rich greens (virtually all but iceberg lettuce) or legumes (kidney, soy or navy beans, chick-peas).
 7. Switch to nonfat or low-fat, high-calcium dairy products.
 8. Take a half-hour walk once a day.
 9.  If overweight, reduce to within 10 pounds of your ideal weight.
10. If over 40, visit your doctor for regular cancer-screening tests.

Last updated Nov 26/06