What Are the Early Warning Signs of Colon Cancer?
Colon cancer starts in the last portion of the digestive tract , known as the colon. It usually occurs in older adults but can occur at any age. Colon cancer, sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer, is the third most commo n cancer in both men and women in the United States, excluding skin cancers. Colon cancer begins with small noncancerous cell clumps, known as polyps, in the colon. Some polyps can become cancerous with time. Polyps cause very few and unrecognizable symptoms, if at all. Some of the symptoms and risk factors include: · Blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel consistency including constipation or diarrhea, fatigue or weakness, persistent abdominal discomfort, inexplicable weight loss, and feeling like the bowel doesn’t completely empty. Many of these symptoms will appear later and will most likely be varied depending on the size of the cancer and where it is located in the large intestine. · Generally, colon cancer occurs whe