What are the symptoms of colorectal cancer?
Early colorectal cancer often has no symptoms, which is why screening is so important. Most colorectal cancers begin as a polyp, a small growth in the wall of the colon. As a polyp grows, it can bleed or obstruct the intestine. See your doctor if you have any of these warning signs:
• Bleeding from the rectum
• Blood in the stool or in the toilet after having a bowel movement
• Dark- or black-colored stools
• A change in the shape of the stool
• Cramping pain in the lower stomach
• A feeling of discomfort or an urge to have a bowel movement
when there is no need to have one
• New onset of constipation or diarrhea that lasts for more than a few days
• Unintentional weight loss