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What are the symptoms?

Depending on the size and location of colorectal cancer, symptoms can vary. The most common symptoms include bloody stool, change in bowel movement habits, abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss. Learn more here.

Video Transcript

Title: What are the symptoms?

There are no specific symptoms that are clear indications of colorectal cancer. When symptoms appear, they’ll likely vary, depending on the cancer’s size and location in your large intestine. In some cases, your symptoms may result from a condition other than cancer, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and sometimes diverticulosis or diverticulitis. Like colorectal cancer, these conditions are treatable.

See your doctor if any of the following signs and symptoms persist for more than a couple of weeks:

  • Bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool
  • A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea or constipation for more than a couple of weeks
  • Narrow stools
  • Feeling like you have to have a bowel movement even after you already had one
  • Cramping or gnawing stomach pain
  • Unexplained weight loss
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US.XON.10.04.023 Last Update: May 2010