Is rectal cancer serious? Please see the doctor's introduction!

Rectal cancer is a serious disease. It is serious because the tumor is malignant in nature and the tissues where the tumor is located are very complex, so surgical treatment is very difficult. Many surgeries are not thorough, so recurrences are common after surgery. If the disease is not controlled in time, it will cause greater damage to surrounding tissues, and in severe cases, it can lead to death. Rectal cancer patients will have many symptoms, such as blood in the stool, frequent diarrhea, and severe defecation obstruction. Patients will become thinner day by day, etc. Therefore, rectal cancer patients must build confidence and actively cooperate with doctors in treatment.

First, what are the dangers of rectal cancer?

1. A lump may be felt during digital rectal examination. Patients with advanced rectal cancer may have increased bowel movements, incomplete bowel movements, frequent urge to defecate, tenesmus, and other local irritation symptoms of the cancer.

2. Due to the enlargement of the tumor in the late stage of rectal cancer, the intestinal cavity narrows and intestinal obstruction occurs. When the intestinal cavity is completely blocked, symptoms of intestinal obstruction such as constipation, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain appear.

3. When the advanced cancer further expands, it will invade surrounding tissues and organs, causing patients to have difficulty urinating, frequent urination, and painful urination. When the cancer invades the presacral nerve plexus, sacral and lumbar pain will occur; when it metastasizes to the liver, it will cause hepatomegaly, ascites, jaundice, and even cachexia, which are all symptoms of rectal cancer.

4. Another typical symptom of rectal cancer is increased intestinal secretions, which is caused by irritation of the intestinal mucosa. A small amount of mucus secretions will be discharged with the stool, and there will be strips of mucus on the surface of the stool. As the tumor continues to develop, the irritation to the rectal mucosa will be greater, and the patient will feel mild discomfort in the rectum, or often have a sense of emptiness. In the late stage of rectal cancer, when the surface of the tumor ulcerates, the stool will be thinner and may be like water mixed with mucus and blood.