Patients with early-stage colon cancer should be careful to avoid missed diagnosis

Most patients with colon cancer are middle-aged or older, with an average age of 45 years old, and about 5% of patients are under 30 years old. The clinical manifestations of colon cancer vary depending on the size, location and pathological type of the lesion. Many patients with early colon cancer may have no clinical symptoms, but as the disease progresses and the lesion continues to grow, a series of common symptoms of colon cancer may occur, such as increased frequency of bowel movements, blood and mucus in the stool, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, intestinal obstruction, as well as general fatigue, weight loss and anemia.

Colon cancer is a common digestive tract malignancy and ranks third among gastrointestinal tumors. The most common sites are the rectum and the junction of the rectum and the sigmoid colon, accounting for 65%. Most cases occur after the age of 40, with a male to female ratio of 2-3:1.

Early symptoms of colon cancer are usually mild or not obvious, often ignored by patients, and easily missed. Therefore, patients over middle age should be alert to the following symptoms and consider the possibility of colon cancer: recent changes in bowel habits (such as constipation, diarrhea or difficulty in defecation), persistent abdominal discomfort, dull pain or bloating; persistent positive fecal occult blood test; thinning stools or stools with blood and mucus; palpable masses in the abdomen; unexplained anemia, fatigue or weight loss, etc.