6 major symptoms of mid- to late-stage rectal cancer

The middle and late stages of rectal cancer refer to the advanced stage of cancer. When the cancer grows to a certain extent, symptoms of blood in the stool may occur, and discomfort may occur in the lower abdomen and anus. Intestinal obstruction of varying degrees is one of the common symptoms of rectal cancer in the middle and late stages. When the cancer compresses adjacent parts or metastasizes to other organs, it will also cause some symptoms in the corresponding parts. In addition, patients may experience varying degrees of fatigue, weight loss and other cachexia symptoms.

1. Blood in the stool may occur in the middle and late stages

A small amount of bleeding is not easy to detect with the naked eye, but a large number of red blood cells can be found when the stool is examined under a microscope, which means that the fecal occult blood test is positive. When the amount of bleeding is large, the stool may be bloody, and the blood may be bright red or dark red.

2. Discomfort in the lower abdomen and anus area

Patients may have varying degrees of feeling of incomplete bowel movements, a feeling of anal prolapse, and sometimes diarrhea.

3. Different degrees of intestinal obstruction

When rectal tumors cause narrowing of the intestinal cavity, varying degrees of intestinal obstruction symptoms (abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and difficulty defecation) may appear, with abdominal pain and intestinal rumbling before defecation. Symptoms are relieved after defecation, and the stool may become thinner and grooved.

4. Symptoms caused by cancer pressing adjacent parts

When the tumor invades the bladder and urethra, frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, and dysuria may occur; when it invades the vagina, rectovaginal fistula and fecal discharge from the vagina may occur; when it invades the sacrum and nerves, severe pain in the sacrum and perineum may occur; when it invades and compresses the ureter, distending pain in the waist may occur; the tumor may also compress the external iliac blood vessels, causing lower limb edema

5. Symptoms at the metastatic site

When the tumor metastasizes to distant sites (liver, lungs, etc.), symptoms may occur in the corresponding organs. For example, when the tumor metastasizes to the lungs, dry cough and chest pain may occur.

6. Cachexia

Patients may experience varying degrees of cachexia symptoms such as fatigue and weight loss.