Source: DoctorsHub Nigeria.


It takes colorectal cancer between 10-15 years before it starts rearing its ugly, diseased head. This means that, it takes about 10-15 years for the cancer to develop from its pre-cancer stage to the cancer stage where symptoms become manifest.

However, even in this silent phase of transformation which eventually gives rise to the disease proper, there are one or two signs which, upon meticulous scrutiny, can give a provisional diagnosis of CRC (provisional diagnosis is a is likely but temporary diagnosis that has not been confirmed). When noticed, these signs can be further analyzed and necessary screenings done to reach a confirmatory diagnosis. And really, that is the desire and prayer of every oncologist (doctor who specializes in treating cancers): to get the cancer (all cancers) at their earliest stages when complete cure can be achieved. In the case of CRC, it leaves behind its signature (in the form of unique signs and symptoms), just like an amateur computer hacker leaves behind trackable footprints with which he can be easily identified. Now, why some of these signs are also peculiar to other diseases, they can, by excluding the other possible alternatives, be narrowed down to CRC.


These are the 5 signs and symptoms,

1. FEEELING OF INCOMPLETE BOWEL EMPTYING:
This is when you still feel the urge of defecating even after you have just defecated. This feeling of incomplete bowel emptying can make you spend hours in the toilet just because you are expectating to defecate again. But then, nothing happens. No feaces is comes out, yet the urge to defecate persists.


2. PASSAGE OF BLOOD-STAINED STOOLS:
Whether cancer or no cancer, this is one sign to want to alert your doctor about very quickly. If you are above 50 years of age and you suddenly start noticing this, it most likely would be a CRC that is causing it. Of course, it can also be the reason in younger populations, but it is not that common. Other causes abound too. In any case, always draw your doctor's attention to any instance of passage of bloody stools (the blood may be bright red or dark-coloured).


3. CHANGE IN BOWEL HABITS:
This is an abnormal deviation from once's normal pattern of defecation. For example, some folks must defecate first in the morning just as they are preparing to have a bath, and that would be all for that day . Now, this pattern can be disrupted from them not defecating at all for days or them defecating more than usual, like say 7 times instead of just once or twice per day. It is very important to note that this change in bowel habit persists for weeks, months or years. It can also alternate between constipation and diarrhoea, as explained above. Usually, people first mistake it for diarrhoea, gastroenteritis or some other mild and easily treatable condition. But when it doesn't resolve after several weeks even when treatment for that condition has been instituted, their mental alarms go off. They start getting worried and start asking questions.


4. PERSISTENT BLOATING OF THE ABDOMEN/GAS PAIN:
usually, because the tumor first grows into the lumen of the colon and fills it up, it causes abdominal bloating by obstructing the lumen and preventing easy movement of feaces and gas. You will always notice this feeling of fullness or the feeling that you have something in there. This feeling persists and gets progressively worse indicating that the tumor is growing and getting bigger. Some people can actually feel the growing mass with their hands when they palpate their abdomen . Also, with the accumulation of feaces and gas too, the abdomen can become quite painful. This pain is what is known as gas pain.


5. UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS:
If you are stressed, you can lose weight. If you are not getting enough sleep, you also lose weight. Again, if you embark on a hunger strike to express your misgivings about the unpopular economic policies of the FG? You also lose weight or starve to death, depending on your stubborness level. All these examples are explicable ways through which people lose weight i.e they have explantions for it. If however, you have been losing some serious weight that you cannot give an account of or you are unable to easily identify ans explain the cause, you must be alarmed. More so if you have one or more of the listed signs above. You would have to be thoroughly screened to exclude causes of severe weight loss like HIV, TB and cancer.


More often than not, these signs and symptoms don't occur in isolation. If you notice one sign, there is a very high probability that one or two other signs and symptoms also present with it. The safest to do is to notify your doctor immediately you notice any of the above signs. Your doctor will know what else to check for, and be able to reach a diagnosis and also quantify the severity of your condition.


Also read, "PREVENT COLORECTAL CANCER WITH THESE 6 TIPS" by clicking on this link: http://doctorshub.com.ng/2017/03/02/prevent-colorectal-with-these-6-tips/.


Thanks for reading!


http://doctorshub.com.ng/2017/03/03/5-early-signs-of-colorectal-cancer-not-to-ignore/