The most common symptoms are rectal bleeding and changes in bowel habits, such as constipation or diarrhea. Abdominal pain and weight loss are usually late symptoms indicating possible extensive disease. Unfortunately, many polyps and early cancers fail to produce symptoms. Therefore, it is important that your routine physical includes colorectal cancer detection procedures once you reach age 40. Those detection methods are a digital rectal exam and a chemical test of stool for blood.
Colorectal cancer requires surgery in nearly all cases for complete cure.
Radiation and chemotherapy are sometimes used in additicin to surgery. There are steps that reduce the risk of contracting the disease. One way is having benign polyps removed by an outpatient procedure called colonoscopy. In addition to removing the polyps, the long flexible tubular instrument used in the procedure provides a more thorough bowel examination. Though not definitely proven, there is some evidence that diet may play a significant role in preventing colorectal cancer.