What are the symptoms of rectal cancer?

Nowadays, the incidence of rectal cancer is showing an upward trend, and more and more people are suffering from the disease. Many people do not know much about rectal cancer, so they are unable to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in the early stages of the disease. So, what are the symptoms of rectal cancer? Let's continue reading.

Acute and chronic intestinal obstruction: Intestinal stenosis caused by tumor invasion may cause intestinal obstruction, leading to complete or incomplete intestinal obstruction, which may progressively worsen.

Abdominal pain: Rectal cancer patients may experience abdominal pain due to local tumor invasion, intestinal irritation, intestinal obstruction, perforation, etc. In chronic intestinal obstruction, abdominal distension, hyperactive bowel sounds, and paroxysmal colic may occur.

Anemia: It is mainly caused by acute or chronic bleeding, and secondly by intake disorders or gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by tumors and damage to hematopoietic organs caused by tumors, leading to anemia symptoms in patients.

Systemic cachexia: mainly occurs in the late stage of rectal cancer. Patients may experience loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, jaundice or ascites.

Changes in bowel habits and shape: Changes in bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation, a feeling of incomplete defecation, a feeling of anus falling before defecation, progressive thinning of stools, and lower abdominal pain in the late stage

Blood in the stool: It is one of the most common clinical symptoms of rectal cancer. In the early stage when the tumor is small, blood in the stool is generally not a symptom. As the tumor grows, the mucosa may erode, ulcerate, or the tumor may rupture and cause bleeding due to various reasons.

Experts remind: Rectal cancer is a malignant tumor disease. Once you get it, the harm it brings to us is unimaginable, and even worse, it may even cause you to lose your life. Therefore, if you find yourself experiencing similar symptoms, you should go to the hospital for a check-up and diagnosis immediately to avoid missing out on a good opportunity.