Symptoms and clinical classification of early colorectal cancer

With the improvement of living standards, people's dietary structure has changed greatly, and colorectal cancer has slowly begun to appear in people's sight. Understanding the symptoms and classification of colorectal cancer is of great significance for disease prevention and treatment.

Cancer limited to the mucosal layer and submucosa of the large intestine is called early colorectal cancer. Its main symptom is painless bloody stools, and the blood is red or bright red. The second is changes in bowel habits. This is mainly because the rectal mass and the secretions it produces can cause intestinal irritation symptoms, causing patients to have symptoms such as frequent urge to defecate, a feeling of incomplete defecation, and tenesmus. The cancer infiltrates around the circumference of the intestinal wall, narrowing the intestinal cavity and causing obstruction.

In the early stage of colorectal cancer, there is generally no lymph node metastasis, but when the tumor infiltrates into the submucosal layer, 5% to 10% of cases will have local lymph node metastasis. Based on naked eye observation, it is mainly divided into the following three types:

(1) Polypoid type: The appearance shows localized protrusion of the mucosa, which may be pedunculated, subpedunculated, or broad-based. This type is often intramucosal cancer.

(2) Flat raised type: The mucosa is slightly thick, almost normal, with no protrusions on the surface, or slightly raised, like a coin.

(3) Flat bulge with ulcer: Like a small disc, with raised edges and sunken center. Only seen in submucosal cancer.

Early detection and early treatment can achieve good treatment results for colorectal cancer. Clinically, 90% of early colorectal cancer can be cured. Therefore, any abnormalities must not be ignored and should be checked in time.