What Are Colon Cancer Symptoms

Colon cancer symptoms can be divided into local and systemic. Local symptoms are those that reflect what's happening to the colon itself, such as constipation, loose stool or diarrhea, alternating episodes constipation and diarrhea, blood-streaked or tarry (dark)stools, very thin stools, and a general feeling of discomfort or being bloated around the abdominal area. On the other hand, systemic symptoms are those that are not directly associated with the condition of the colon, but are brought about by a combined effect of the body systems as they react to the cancer in the colon. For instance, unexplained weight loss is one systemic symptom of colon cancer. Loss of appetite is another, as well as an unexplained feeling of general body malaise or fatigue. Other systemic symptoms are nausea or vomiting, anemia and a yellow discoloration of the skin or jaundice, which is a result of the cancer affecting the liver.