These 4 symptoms can easily help you distinguish between rectal cancer and hemorrhoids

Because the bowel movement symptoms of rectal cancer and hemorrhoids are very similar, many people have always regarded rectal cancer as hemorrhoids. Although the symptoms of the two are very similar, there are still differences. You can distinguish them with careful observation.

1. Blood in stool is different

Because the bleeding site of rectal cancer is in the rectum, the blood will stay in the intestine for a period of time, during which time the blood will oxidize, resulting in dark red blood in the stool. Severe rectal cancer patients may also have blood flowing out of the anus without defecation. The surface of rectal cancer usually has inflammation and pus, and the stool usually contains pus and blood. The color of blood in the stool of hemorrhoids is usually bright red, and the blood only appears during defecation, and disappears when the defecation is over.

2. Different bowel habits

Under the stimulation of cancer cells, the bowel habits of rectal cancer patients will change greatly. At this time, the stool will generally become thinner, and the frequency of bowel movements will increase. If diarrhea and constipation alternate, there will be a feeling of wanting to defecate all the time; hemorrhoids generally do not cause changes in bowel habits.

3. Different stool characteristics

The stool of patients with rectal cancer is generally loose and contains blood or pus. If detached tumor material is seen in the stool, it indicates that the disease is seriously progressing.

4. Other symptoms

In addition to changes in bowel movements, patients with rectal cancer may also experience other systemic symptoms, such as anemia, lack of energy, fever, weight loss, etc. Most patients with rectal cancer may also experience difficulty defecating, abdominal pain, bloating, etc. In addition to blood in the stool, hemorrhoids may have a mass protruding from the anus, but generally do not cause other systemic symptoms. Long-term high-protein, high-fat diets and alcohol abuse are also risk factors for rectal cancer.

To prevent colorectal cancer, we need to do the following:

A low-fat, low-protein diet is recommended. The fat in food promotes the secretion of bile, and high concentrations of bile acid can promote cancer. Studies have shown that if the intake of red meat is too high, the incidence of colorectal cancer will be higher, and the two are directly proportional, especially for some processed meat products.