Symptoms of Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

Symptom duration versus survival in non‐emergency colorectal cancer

“…Synnestvedt et al studied the records of 102 patients and found fresh bleeding and a change in stool pattern to be specific for left colon and rectal cancer (17). In a retrospective study of 254 patients from the 1960s, Keddie & Hargreaves described haematochezia and mucus to be common in rectal cancer and fatigue in right-sided cancer (18). Fatigue was a common first symptom, reported by patients in 1/5 of all colorectal cancer cases and almost 1/3 in rightsided cancer.…”

ACPGBI Referral guidelines for colorectal cancer

“…Many studies have noted the differences in the mode of presentation and symptom/sign patterns of distal (rectal and sigmoid) and proximal (descending colon to caecum) cancers [41,42,53–60].…”

Predictive value of common symptom combinations in diagnosing colorectal cancer

“…It is a widely held view that patients with bowel cancer present with non‐specific symptoms1, 2. As patients with colorectal cancer have three primary symptoms (rectal bleeding, change in bowel habit and abdominal pain1–4) that are common in patients with benign disease5–11, single symptoms have low diagnostic value for cancer.…”

“…It is a widely held view that patients with bowel cancer present with non‐specific symptoms1, 2. As patients with colorectal cancer have three primary symptoms (rectal bleeding, change in bowel habit and abdominal pain1–4) that are common in patients with benign disease5–11, single symptoms have low diagnostic value for cancer. However, it is recognized that many patients with cancer present with more than one symptom3, 4: over 40 per cent also have either a palpable abdominal or rectal mass3, 4, around 30 per cent have iron deficiency anaemia12–14, and 10–20 per cent present as an emergency with intestinal obstruction15, 16.…”