Sign and symptomps

The symptoms of cancer of the large bowel may include any of the following:
• A change in your normal bowel habit (such as diarrhoea or constipation) for no obvious reason, lasting longer than six weeks
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blood in, or on, the stools (bowel motions) – the blood may be bright red or dark in colour
• Pain in the tummy (abdomen) or back passage
• A feeling of not having emptied your bowel properly after a bowel motion.
• Gas and Bloating

Sometimes tiredness (fatigue) is a symptom of a bowel cancer. This can happen if the bowel tumour has been bleeding and caused a shortage of red blood cells (anaemia). Anaemia may also make you feel breathless.
Sometimes the cancer can cause a blockage (obstruction) in the bowel. The symptoms of this are:
• Being sick (vomiting)
• Constipation
• Pain in the abdomen
• A bloated feeling

Further tests for cancer colon :

The following additional tests are most often used with cancer colon
1. Abdominal ultrasound scan
2. CT scan
3. Waiting for your test results
4. Blood test
5. Chest X-ray
6. PET Scan

1. Abdominal Ultrasound
An ultrasound scan uses sound waves to look at internal organs, such as the liver and the colon, to see whether the cancer has spread to other organs. You will usually be asked not to eat or drink for at least six hours before the test. Once you are lying comfortably on your back, a gel is spread onto your abdomen. A small device that produces sound waves is passed over the area. The sound waves are then converted into a picture by a computer.

2. CT scan
A CT (computerised tomography) scan takes a series of x-rays, which builds up a three-dimensional picture of the inside of the body. It can show the size of the tumour in the colon and whether it has spread beyond the bowel. The scan is painless but takes longer than an ordinary x-ray (from 10–30 minutes). CT scans use a small amount of radiation, which will be very unlikely to harm you and will not harm anyone you come into contact with. You will be asked not to eat or drink for at least four hours before the scan.

3. Waiting for your Test
It will probably take from several days to a couple of weeks for the results of your tests to be ready. The results of the tests will show the grade and the stage of the cancer colon. This information will be used by a team of doctors and nurses.

4. Blood Test
Collection of sample blood to check The protein is called carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and is also known as a tumour marker.

5. Chest X-ray
Chest x-rays are often taken to check the health of your heart and lungs.

6. PET scan
PET (positron emission tomography) scans are a newer type of scan. They are not always necessary , whether one would be useful in your case. PET scans can be used to accurately define the cancer colon and find out if it has spread to other parts of the body.