How To Detect Colon Cancer Symptoms in Women?
The largest part of the digestive system is the colon, and colon cancer symptoms in women can be difficult to detect because many women rarely show any signs until it’s in the more advanced stages and the medical screening finds it. However, there are some symptoms that women need to pay attention to in order to detect this disease as soon as possible and take corrective action. One of the most common symptoms is rectal bleeding; since oftentimes it’s one of the first symptoms.
Among the other symptoms of colon cancer symptoms in women is weight loss; actually this is one of the first signs in a variety of cancers. In addition there can be pelvic pain, fatigue, bloating, gas, nausea, cramping, and even abnormal vaginal pain. Another of the noticeable changes is the change in color or the stool, (although be aware that some foods cause this change in color) and many women don’t report this until they have their yearly gynecologic exam. Oftentimes, women are diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease because there has been a change either due to constipation or diarrhea. Generally the physician will do a fecal occult blood test in order to determine the cause
All too often, the colon cancer symptoms in women still continues to go undetected even though the patient’s health starts changing, but it changes so slowly, that it’s just not noticeable. In many cases the tumor isn’t initially detected unit the colonoscopy screen is performed, and if it’s small enough, it can be removed during the procedure. Larger tumors require surgery, generally followed by chemotherapy and possibly radiation treatment.
There have been various studies that have identified the causes and risk factors of colon cancer. These studies state that the primary risk of colon cancer is age, followed by alcohol, diabetes, and diet. Unfortunately for many people the most popular foods are high in cholesterol and fat, which is found to increase colon cancers, and couple with low-fiber diets, increases the risk as well. Even the environment can play a role in the occurrence of colon cancer, and one myth is that colon cancer is more prevalent in men than women. Gender, ethnicity, social status, and race all play an equal part in developing colon cancer; unfortunately it’s not that one is for common than another, it’s that it’s an equal opportunity cancer – anyone can get it.
So what are the risks of colon cancer? One of the most common is family history, particularly if more multiple family members have had this disease; the patient is at greater risk. According to another study, patients who having a type of nonpolyposis colon cancer are at greater risk for developing ovarian cancer as well, and should be tested regularly if three or more relatives in at least two successive generations have had colon cancer.
Therefore, colon cancer symptoms in women are generally minimal until the later stages develop, but women should know the family history, and understand all of the potential symptoms of this disease.
