If you have a family history of colon cancer, you should be very careful to monitor yourself for colon cancer. Unlike a lot of other cancers, if detected early enough, colon cancer is a curable disease. But it is important that you educate yourself on colon cancer symptoms. This will give you the best chance for survival. Keep reading to discover the symptoms of colon cancer.

First of all, let's take a look at a brief definition of colon cancer. The colon is the name for the large intestine. The rectum is at the very end of the colon where waste products are expelled from the body. Colon cancer will start in the colon or in the rectum. A lot of times you will hear colon cancer referred to as colorectal cancer. Colon cancer can affect any part of the colon starting at the rectum and moving it's way upward through the colon. It is critical that you learn how to recognize colon cancer symptoms.

The Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer can be tricky because a lot of times there are no colon cancer early symptoms. By the time that you start having symptoms, you will already have stageable cancer. The stages of cancer are stage 0 to stage 4. The lower your number, the better chance that you will have for surviving colon cancer.

So here are the symptoms of colon cancer:

1. A change in bowel habits which would include diarrhea or constipation.


2. A change in the consistency of your stool for more than a couple of weeks.


3. An Unexplained weight loss.


4. Abdominal pain when you have a bowel movement.


5. If you have rectal bleeding or start to notice blood in your stool.


6. If you start having feeling of weakness or fatigue.


7. If you feel like your bowel is not emptying completely when you have a bowel movement.


8. If you are consistently having abdominal pain, gas or cramping.

It is very important that you take note of any of these symptoms, especially if you have a strong family history of colon cancer. If you are past the age of 50 you should have regular colonoscopy screenings. A colonoscopy is the best way to detect all stages of colon cancer. However, if colon cancer runs in your family, your doctor may recommend having regular colonoscopy screenings a lot earlier.

So there you have the symptoms of colon cancer. If you think that you may be having any of these colon cancer symptoms, see your doctor right away. Early intervention is the key to curing colon cancer.

Colon Cancer is fast becoming a major health threat in America, South Africa and Europe. It is therefore important to know and recognise the signs of colon cancer. One of the main problems with colon cancer is that the symptoms can be as a result of many other conditions and as a result people tend to ignore them. Unfortunately this could turn out to be fatal.

What are the signs of colon cancer ?
Some of the most common are bleeding of the rectum and blood in the stool. Other signs of colon cancer are a change in bowel regularity, decrease in stool size, pains in the stomach area, cramps, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, and constant fatigue. These are some of the signs to look for if you suspect you could be developing colon cancer.

It is possible to have colon cancer and yet show no symptoms of the disease. Unless a mass of tissue is felt through the abdomen by a doctor during an examination, it is very difficult to diagnose without further investigation. If the doctor prescribes further screening, this is likely to take the form of a colonoscopy, where a small camera is inserted in the colon so that the entire length of the colon can be examined.

Many of the signs of colon cancer are also associated with non-cancerous conditions. Polyps in the inside of the colon are often benign and there can be many different reasons for blood in the stool not connected with colon cancer. As a result many other factors are taken into account when an examination takes place.

Age is one factor. Although it is possible to contract colon cancer when young, the highest incidences are in those aged 50 and over. A family history of colon cancer or a personal history of other forms of cancer in the past would all be taken into account.

It is therefore very important that if you do have any of the signs of colon cancer that you are properly diagnosed by a health professional. The good news is that the sooner colon cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat.

It is estimated that over 52,000 people, in the United States alone, lost their lives to colon cancer in 2007. If you are over 50 and concerned about colon cancer there are a number of screening programmes available in different countries.

In the United Kingdom, the NHS is currently unrolling a programme to offer screening to males over the age of 60.

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control has a screening programme for those over 50 who may have little or no health insurance.. The number to call is 1-8000-4-CANCER.

Learn the signs of colon cancer, it could save your life or that of someone close to you.