“What are the signs of rectal cancer?”
A month ago, I began to notice blood in my stool, and it hasn't stopped. I'm worried that it could be rectal cancer. What are the signs of rectal cancer? What should I look out for?
5 Answers
It could be from hemorrhoids, but visit with your PCP and have a low threshold to do a colonoscopy in my opinion.
Bleeding from the rectum is a potential sign of rectal cancer but if you are young then hemorrhoids are a common cause. See a GI doctor and get a colonoscopy to find out for sure what the bleeding is from.
This is very worrisome especially if you are older. You should see a gastroenterologist and get a colonoscopy as soon as possible.
There are several symptoms associated with rectal cancer. Blood in stool or bleeding from rectum is certainly associated with it. Other symptoms include (but not limited to) lower abdominal pain, change in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation that does not improve), change in stool shape or size, mass in rectal area, unexplained weight loss, rectal pain, etc. Please contact your physician immediately to follow up on your symptoms. A few simple tests can help make a diagnosis during the office visit.
Navdeep Kaur, MD
Navdeep Kaur, MD
You do not need to look out for anything and you definitely don’t need to wait. Go and visit a physician immediately if you haven’t done that yet!
