Colon Cancer

Colon cancer does not always cause symptoms, especially at first. But sometimes there are symptoms, such as:

• Blood in or on the stool

• Unexplained and frequent pain, aches, or cramps in the stomach

• A change in bowel habits, such as having stools that are narrower than usual

• Unexplained weight loss

If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor soon. These symptoms also may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know what is causing them is to see your doctor.⁷

Find out more about colon cancer and treatment options.

Colon Polyps

Most polyps produce no symptoms and often are found incidentally during an endoscopy or x-ray of the bowel. Some polyps, however, can produce bleeding, mucus discharge, alteration in bowel function, or, in rare cases, abdominal pain. ¹

Find out more about colon polyps and treatment options.

Crohn’s Disease

Symptoms may include cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, weight loss, bloating, anal pain or drainage, skin lesions, rectal abscess, fissure, and joint pain. Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anemia. Children with Crohn's disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth. Nutritional deficiencies also may occur, caused by inadequate dietary intake, intestinal loss of protein, or poor absorption (malabsorption).

Crohn's disease also may cause sores, or ulcers, that tunnel through the affected area into surrounding tissues, such as the bladder, vagina, or skin. The areas around the anus and rectum often are involved. The tunnels, called fistulas, are a common complication and often become infected. Sometimes fistulas can be treated with medicine, but, in some cases, they may require surgery. ²

Find out more about Crohn’s disease and treatment options.

Ulcerative Colitis

Symptoms may include rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, or fevers. In cases of severe bleeding, anemia also may occur. Children with ulcerative colitis may fail to develop or grow properly.³

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis tend to come and go, with fairly long periods between flare-ups, during which patients may experience no distress at all. These periods of remission can span months or even years, although symptoms do eventually return.

Find out more about ulcerative colitis  and treatment options.

Diverticular Disease

Most people with diverticulosis do not have any discomfort or symptoms. However, symptoms can include mild cramps, bloating, and constipation. The most common symptom of diverticulitis is abdominal pain. The most common sign of this condition is tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen. If infection is the cause, then fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, and constipation may occur as well. The severity of symptoms depends on the extent of the infection and complications. ⁴

Find out more about diverticular disease and treatment options.

The key to survival is early detection of colorectal cancer, because it is treatable in its early stages. If everyone aged 50 and older had regular colorectal cancer screening tests, more than one third of deaths from this cancer could be avoided. When diagnosed and treated in the early stages, between 80% and 90% of patients with colorectal cancer return to their normal health.^7,8

You should begin screening for colorectal cancer soon after turning 50 and continue at regular intervals. However, you may need to be tested earlier, or more often, than other people if:

• You or a close relative have had colorectal polyps or cancer.

• You have inflammatory bowel disease.⁵

Talk to your doctor about when you should begin screening and how often you should be tested.

The key to early detection of colon disease is your willingness to seek medical attention. Generally, a physician will first take a detailed medical history. Your medical history will identify the presence of risk factors for colon disease. If your physician suspects colon disease, you may undergo one or more of the following screening tests:

• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: This is a visual exam of the rectum and lower colon using a lighted, flexible endoscope. It allows for the direct detection of colon tumors. Sigmoidoscopy detects 70% to 85% of all advanced lesions in the entire colon. One clinical study of the effectiveness of sigmoidoscopy in detecting potentially cancerous polyps found that it reduced the risk of developing colon cancer by 70%.⁵

• Colonoscopy: This procedure examines the entire five to six feet of the average colon. A physician inserts a long, flexible, lighted tube into the rectum and slowly guides it into the colon. The tube is equipped with a scope, or camera, that transmits an image of the inside of the colon so the physician can carefully examine its lining. The exam is usually done under sedation. ⁶

  Often, if a physician sees a polyp during screening, he or she will remove it using the colonoscope. Clinical trials have shown that screening for and removal of polyps using colonoscopy lowers the incidence of colorectal cancer by 50% to 90%.⁵

• Stool exams to detect occult (hidden) blood: Because large colon polyps and most colon cancers shed minute quantities of blood, examination of the stool for blood is an important procedure. This screening test is also known as a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). An analysis of the results of an FOBT screening shows that it can reduce mortality from colon cancer by 25%.⁵

• Barium enema: This x-ray exam is an older exam that, at times, is still useful. Barium flows into the colon, and x-rays are taken that can outline the shadows of any signs of colon disease are then taken.⁶

Currently, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends screening for colon disease using colonoscopy every 10 years, starting at age 50, for patients with no symptoms of colon disease. For patients who have symptoms of, or risk factors for, colon disease, more frequent screenings are recommended. In addition to a colonoscopy, the ACS recommends a FOBT every year, a flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, or a DCBE every 5 years, starting at age 50.⁵