What are the symptoms of advanced rectal cancer

Rectal cancer can cause great harm to the human body and in severe cases can lead to rectal necrosis. The late-stage symptoms of rectal cancer include obvious intestinal obstruction, difficulty urinating, painful urination, etc. When these symptoms appear, timely treatment must be sought.

In the late stage, rectal cancer often invades surrounding tissues and organs, such as the bladder and prostate, causing frequent urination, urgency and difficulty urinating. It invades the presacral plexus, causing sacral and lumbar pain. Rectal cancer can also metastasize to the liver, causing symptoms such as liver enlargement, ascites, jaundice, and even cachexia. So, what are the late symptoms of rectal cancer?

What are the late symptoms of rectal cancer?

1. The enlargement of the tumor can cause narrowing of the intestinal cavity and intestinal obstruction.

2. Rectal examination shows that a lump can be felt in most cases. In addition to the common systemic symptoms such as weight loss, loss of appetite, anemia, etc., patients with advanced rectal cancer also have local irritation symptoms of the cancer such as increased frequency of bowel movements, incomplete bowel movements, frequent urge to defecate, and tenesmus.

3. If the cancer invades the surrounding tissues and organs, symptoms such as difficulty urinating, frequent urination, and painful urination may occur; if the malignant tumor invades the presacral nerve plexus, symptoms of sacral and lumbar pain will appear; when it metastasizes to the liver, it will cause the patient to have liver enlargement, ascites, jaundice, and even cachexia. This is a common late-stage symptom of rectal cancer.

4. The intestinal mucosa is stimulated and secretions increase, and a small amount of mucus is secreted and discharged with the stool. Constipation symptoms may sometimes occur, but they are not caused by intestinal stenosis. As the tumor continues to develop, it causes greater stimulation to the rectal mucosa. The patient begins to feel mild discomfort in the rectum, or often has a vague feeling of urge to defecate. At the same time, mucus secretion increases, and strips of mucus are often seen on the surface of the stool. In the early stages of cancer ulceration, patients often have diarrhea and their stools contain a lot of mucus. When the surface of the cancer ulcerates, the stool becomes thinner and may be watery and mixed with mucus and blood.