Colon Cancer Symptoms In Women
It is difficult to find typical colon cancer symptoms as all symptoms have many other causes. Women in particular are more susceptible to a wide variety of symptoms that point to other complaints rather than colon cancer.
After breast cancer, colon cancer is the second most common cancer in women. So it makes more than sense to deal with this topic and get to know the symptoms of colon cancer in order to be able to act on the slightest suspicion.
Colon cancer is a malignant growth in the intestine, which can be the large intestine or rectum. The small intestine is only very rarely affected (less than 5% of all cases).
The insidious thing about this cancer is that those affected remain symptom-free for a very long time and the symptoms of colon cancer are recognized as such very late.
It therefore makes sense to talk to your doctor about whether and when a colon cancer screening examination is recommended. In many cases, the health insurance companies also cover the costs!
Causes of Colon Cancer
It has been proven that certain lifestyle and eating habits lead to an increased risk of colon cancer. So it is up to you to significantly reduce your risk of colon cancer by changing these habits!
Diet is an important point. Those who eat a high-fat, low-fiber diet and eat a lot of meat are at an increased risk.
It is very easy to reduce the risk: Eat a diet that should be high in fiber (whole grain products, fruits, vegetables), do not contain too much fat and do not put much meat on your plate!
Other factors that promote colon cancer are obesity, nicotine and alcohol. You can’t say enough what everyone already knows:
A healthy diet, a normal weight and a nicotine- and alcohol-free lifestyle are the best prevention against many deadly diseases!
Colon cancer symptoms
It is difficult to find typical colon cancer symptoms because all symptoms have many other causes as well. Women in particular are more susceptible to a wide variety of symptoms that point to other complaints rather than colon cancer:
Diarrhea and constipation
If diarrhea and constipation alternate, colon cancer may be the cause. Diarrhea or constipation alone is not a typical sign, it has to be alternating, as the tumor first thaws the intestinal contents, which causes constipation.
The “jam” is now liquefied again by bacteria, so it can flow past the tumor and is excreted as diarrhea.
“False friends”
A tumor can decrease the tension in the sphincter. It can happen that in the case of flatulence, solid components accidentally come off with the winds. Doctors call such a “wet fart” a little more politely a “false friend”.
Blood in the stool
Blood in the stool does not necessarily indicate colon cancer ; there are more harmless causes, such as hemorrhoids. The blood in stool caused by colon cancer is mostly invisible if it is in small amounts.
But it can be proven very easily with a test stick. Ask your doctor about this!
You can recognize large amounts of blood in the stool by the black color, one also speaks of “tarry stool” – because that’s what it looks like …
Fatigue and weakness
A very diffuse symptom, which often occurs in women and has more to do with iron deficiency than with colon cancer, is fatigue or weakness.
If you see something like this in yourself, you should have your family doctor carry out a blood test to determine whether there is an iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency can have many causes. Colon cancer should only be considered once this has been clarified. Because colon cancer can also cause iron deficiency or “anemia”!
Unintentional weight loss
Unfortunately, women in particular are too early to look forward to a symptom that shows colon cancer at an advanced stage: unwanted weight loss.
However, unwanted weight loss is also a symptom of so many ailments and illnesses that such a problem must be fully clarified by your doctor!
stomach pain
Unfortunately, abdominal pain in colon cancer only occurs in an advanced stage, when the tumor has already reached a certain size. Small tumors do not cause pain.
Even if the colon cancer has already attacked other areas, such as the liver, it leads to abdominal pain. But even then, the tumor is already at a critically advanced stage of cancer.
The chances of recovery are very different: If the colon cancer is detected early, there are good chances of recovery. Since this disease usually remains undetected for a long time (too long!), Colorectal cancer is unfortunately usually fatal.
It is all the more important to go to regular checkups!
